Significant Glitch
by Grasscake
Summary: The famed duo of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson is now joined by a woman named Lilly who brings a more 'criminal' feature to the team. Her mysterious past coupled with a desire to keep her secrets secret, heightens Sherlock's interest in her. Only when she discovers Sherlock has secrets of his own does their relationship take a turn. But secrets aside, a larger storm is brewing.
1. Chapter 1

Alvarie's shadow walked in front of her, creating gray and black tones with the gravel it shifted upon. Sharp short clicks accompanied its silent movement, as the spray paint cans in her bag clinked themselves together. She drew a long breath stopping at blank brick wall just far enough from the city that she wouldn't get caught. Crouching down, Alvarie dropped her bag causing one sharp click to ring out. She put her hands over the top of it silencing the can's ever present song. Once she was sure of their silence, she used her trained eye to pick out a bright blue in the dim, unhelpful light caused by a faraway street lamp. Giving the can a good shake, Alvarie opened the cap, pressed down on the nozzle, and began to paint short sharp bursts onto the brick. Soon, a figure began to take shape. Blending the blue with her trusty black, Alvarie created the shape of a man wearing a sweeping blue coat. Standing up, she studied the blank spot where she had neglected to put his head. There, Alvarie painted a large graphic question mark. She stood back, inspecting her work fondly before packing up her things and slinging her bag back over her shoulder. "Hey!" she heard a voice of authority shout in the distance. She knew it was time to run, almost like clockwork.

Several buildings scaled later and more than enough cramps in her side, Alvarie skidded to a stop in front an unassuming gray building. She caught her breath and climbed the stairs stopping at the top to pull a silver key from her back pocket. The door squeaked open with a few shudders revealing more sets of unwelcoming stairs. Mustering her last bits of oxygen, Alvarie climbed the two flights to a second door. Pulling out another silver key, she turned the lock and opened the door.

As soon as she had shut it behind her, Alvarie was greeted by rather loud music not welcome to the early hours of the morning. Turning to lock the door, she threw her bag on a nearby coffee table and tossed her keys into a dish that rested there. As she crossed the entryway and walked into the living space Alvarie took careful note of all the peeling wallpaper and mysterious stains that she would have to fix once she had the money, if ever. Tearing her wandering eyes from the walls was the sight of three guys and a girl lounging on the threadbare futon and rug that lay in front of her. Her roommates all happened to be graffiti artists and they all also happened to be loud which, worked to her advantage since it meant that no one would notice if she slipped away into her room while they were arguing over who was going to the shops or something.

Directly in front of Alvarie was Todd who sat on the edge of the rug in a meditative stance with his eyes closed. Behind him was Valerie who, had her back against the edge of the futon and was filing her nails to the god awful rhythm of whatever junk music they had decided to blast that night. Both Todd and Valerie dressed liked they had taken a pair of scissors and cut up every article of clothing they owned. Both sported very long dreadlocks. On the couch itself, sat Raz accompanied by Alvarie's half-brother Alger who, at that moment, looked like he'd just been run over by a truck.

"Did you do it?" Valerie said, glancing up to acknowledge Alvarie's arrival.

"Yep." Alvarie answered strolling towards her to sit between Raz and Alger on the futon. Valerie let out a puff of air, showing the slightest hint of amusement. "It was easy," Alvarie continued, "And it felt good... really good."

"By morning I bet we'll have drawn 'em out." Raz chimed in gleefully with the exuberance of a puppy being taken for its first stroll. Alvarie turned to her left and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Why are you so happy?" Alvarie questioned, shifting in her seat to face him. "I thought you liked the guy; even helped him once."

"So?" Raz replied.

"So, you should be angry because we all mean to turn him in." Alvarie explained.

"I was, 'cept he turned in five more of our guys this week just for getting paid to paint up a few walls by some criminal." Alvarie stiffened at this, wondering who had been turned in for taking another anonymous tip.

"Who was it?" She asked.

"Alger's gang, he only just made it out." Alvarie turned to glance at her brother then, gasping in horror at what she saw. Alger's right eye was puffy and purple to the point where he couldn't open it. Several black bruises covered his exposed arms and his clothes were in an equal state of disarray.

"Alger?" She asked.

"He's not gonna respond." Valerie said, not looking up from her infinite nail filing. Alvarie heaved a great sigh and sunk back into the couch.

"Well then," She started, "I guess I have no choice but to go over there and give that 'great detective' a piece of my mind." Alvarie had started to stand by then and was already walking towards the door when Raz grabbed her wrist.

"Come on, Alv." he said with a pleading look in his eyes. She replied by shaking off his hand and continuing to the door.

"And don't call me Alv." She yelled behind her as the door slammed shut.

* * *

Lilly held her phone out, looking at it as she walked, paying little attention to what was in front of her.

"You're gonna run into something if you keep this up, Lil." Rain gave her metaphorical sister a semi curious glance. "What are you even doing?"

She was barely aware of herself as she answered, "It's this new app, Pokémon Go. You walk around and collect Pokémon. I have to be paying attention to this so that I don't miss any."

Rain laughed. "Oh sorry; I forgot you were nine!"

"Well excuuuuuuse me!" Lilly smirked at the girl, and then looked back at her phone. She stopped suddenly and let out an excited squeal. "Dude, dude, dude! IT'S A ZAPDOS! COME ON WE GOTTA CATCH IT BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS!" She took Rain's hand and sprinted around the corner. She checked the location on her phone. "Damn, it's in private property…" She looked up and down the street. It was early enough that no one was up yet unless they were crazy, and the crazy ones wouldn't care too much.

The girl gripped Lilly's hand. "Don't you dare!"

"But it's gonna go away soon! I'll be right back, watch my back."

"It's not even real!" Rain let out an aggravated sigh and watched as her role model climbed over a fence and fell clumsily down on the other side. Lilly rolled a few times and jumped up, racing over to an empty location and stood there for a good minute or so before letting out another excited squeal. She must have caught it.

Lilly danced her way back to the fence and climbed over it again, then jumped down, landing perfectly. "I got a Zapdos, I got a Zapdos!" She sang, skipping around Rain.

Rain dragged her hand down her face and sighed. "Why do I look up to you?"

"Good question! You should think about that." Lilly pat the girl's head and skipped down the street, Rain far enough behind to not be associated with the grown adult catching virtual creatures on her mobile device.

Not long later they arrived at 221B Baker Street. Lilly knocked on the door, her phone still out. Mrs. Hudson opened the door. "Hello Lilly, hello Rain! Come on in."

Lilly grunted a hello and walked upstairs, almost tripping on several steps.

Rain sighed, and shook her head. "Sorry, Lilly is being extremely nerdy today. Please forgive her!"

Mrs. Hudson laughed a little. "Oh dear, I don't mind! Sherlock gets that way all the time, let me tell you."

She smiled politely and walked in, giving the lady a gracious bow. "Thank you very much!" Rain ran youthfully up the stairs.

"What a polite girl…"

Lilly had already spread herself out on the couch, looking at her phone with a concentrated face. Sherlock was sitting on his chair, attempting to figure out what the girl was being so serious about, seemingly getting nowhere despite his best attempts. John sat across from Sherlock, updating his blog about life with the peculiar detective. Rain sighed, hating the silence. "Hello to you too, everyone!"

John looked up suddenly, "Oh, hello Rain! I didn't know you were coming!"

Rain put on a derpy face and sat on the floor in front of Lilly. "She made me come."

"I see. What time did you two get up to be down here at this hour?" John asked, checking the time on his phone. It was 6:30 A.M.

The girl thought for a moment. "I think around… what, 3:30?" She looked to Lilly.

"Hm." Lilly grunted what seemed to be an agreement.

"Really? How were you up that early?" John exclaimed. Rain only shrugged.

Sherlock pulled out his phone. "It looks like we'll be joined by one more this morning." He rested his chin on his fingertips in thought.

Lilly put down her phone for the first time this morning. "Who's coming?"

John sighed, looking to Sherlock. "The last thing this flat needs is another person in it."

"No, this is different. She's not coming to catch up over tea…"

Lilly sat up. "Fight, fight, fight, fight," she chants, her smile growing.

Sherlock gave an unamused glare. "I doubt it will get physical."

She frowned. "Aw, are you sure? It would be nice to get a bit of anger out…"

"Almost certain."

"But there's still a chance?"

"There's always a chance."

The two stared each other down until Lilly bursted into laughter. "I'm too tired for all this!" She flopped back down on the couch.

There was a knock at the door downstairs and Sherlock looked out the window. "Speak of the devil; she's here."


	2. Chapter 2

Alvarie stood just outside 221B Baker Street, shifting nervously from foot to foot. She had walked just over four blocks and taken at least two different trains in a fit of rage and now it all seemed wasted. She'd forgotten how intimidating that looming black door was. Wincing and turning her head like she was about to be slapped, Alvarie knocked on the door as quickly as she could. Almost immediately, footsteps could be heard in the distance and it wasn't long before the heavy door shifted open. Standing in its wake was a short, bony woman in a rather distasteful amount of purple. Alvarie opened her mouth and then closed it, letting the woman speak first.

"Oh hello dear…" she said, stepping back a little at the sight of Alvarie's appearance.

"It's me Mrs. Hudson. Alvarie." she replied looking Mrs. Hudson right in the face so she would have the best chance of recognition. Mrs. Hudson looked confused for a few moments until something clicked and her face brightened.

"Oh! Alvarie!" She exclaimed nodding and smiling to keep the ever approaching awkward silence at bay. "You've changed your hair! Kids these days and their funny little styles…" She trailed off gawking at Alvarie's short bubble gum pink hair that faded into a cotton candy blue.

"Well, come in then!" she offered, her eyes shifting back and forth from Alvarie's hair and the floor as she gestured her into the entryway. Alvarie stepped in after her arm had finished its grand sweep and peered up at the steep black stairs that awaited her. She sighed briefly, nodded to Mrs. Hudson, and then began her ascent to whatever horrible conversation awaited her at the top.

Reaching the doorframe of Sherlock's flat came all too soon and Alvarie felt her stomach make a familiar drop. She peered around the corner witnessing four figures doing their best to act like they hadn't known she was coming. There was Sherlock, with his head hung over the back of his favorite chair and his hands resting underneath his chin. John Watson sat nearby trying to focus on a blank computer screen and not whoever was standing in the doorframe. Across the room was a young girl who looked about 11 or 12 sitting on the floor in front of a couch. On that couch was someone Alvarie recognized to be the woman who kept popping up in the newspaper clippings she had of all the times Sherlock had turned in one of her own. She raised an eyebrow at Alvarie as if she noticed something odd about her.

"Are you going to come in or are we going to sit here all day while you doubt your self-confidence?" Sherlock asked still staring at the ceiling with a placid look on his face. Alvarie entered at that, positioning herself in front of him.

"Who do you think you are?" she questioned back at him, trying her best not to yell. After he offered no reaction Alvarie continued, gaining steam as she went. "It's not easy for the rest of us, we take every job we can get and sometimes we don't know who were doing it for. We don't have the choice. You act like you're some god and we should be thankful for you putting us straight. But you know what? I'm not thankful, not in the least." She finished in a crescendo, letting the last words hang in the room like unwelcome memories.

"It's not like _she's_ trying to do anything about your lifestyle." John muttered causing Sherlock's head to turn, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Alvarie turned to John as well, giving him a rather annoyed stare. Once John realized that just about everyone was staring at him he went back to pretending to do something other than listen to their conversation.

"This has been lovely but, I'd appreciate it if you took your teenage angst somewhere else." Sherlock said after a few moments of silence. He stood up, crossing the room to show Alvarie towards the door.

"Oh, come on Sherlock!" John groaned turning around in his seat to face them "She's your daughter the least you could do is not be an…" He trailed off, realizing what he had just said.

Sherlock turned towards John again, anger plain on his face. His eyes were fixated on him in a fit of silent rage but, every once and awhile they drifted, looking towards the other side of the room.

Alvarie glanced over at the girl on the couch who was now sitting up with a startled look on her face.

Without a word Sherlock started to walk out of the flat, stopping to grab his coat which was draped over a nearby chair. The four left in the room stared at each other, at a loss for words.

* * *

Time seemed to stop for Lilly. Surely this was just some awful experiment Sherlock was doing… but John would never be okay with something this heavy, so it had to be true… Lilly pressed her palms into her forehead, her logical mind pulled under a tidal wave of building emotions.

Rain turned to Lilly. She could tell that Lilly was on the verge of panicking, so she sat next to her and hugged her. "We'll figure this out."

Lilly pushed the girl off softly. "Don't touch me right now, Rain." The girl backed up, a little hurt.

John got up, taking a step closer to Lilly. "This wasn't what I thought-"

Lilly locked eyes with the doctor, her harsh glare silencing him. After a moment of glaring, she realized Sherlock had left only moments ago. "I'll go after him..." Lilly mumbled, running out of the flat in search for her friend.

It didn't take her long to find him; he was only a block ahead. Sherlock heard quickly approaching footsteps and knew Lilly was following him. The blond jumped in front of him, blocking his path. She crossed her arms and bit her lower lip. "Were you even going to tell me?"

"Eventually, yes." He avoided eye contact with her.

"Liar," She hissed. "You… I…" She let out a shivering sigh, holding back tears. "I… I kinda liked you! And.. you let me! You let me despite having a… A BLOODY CHILD!" Lilly felt light-headed, dizzy from the different emotions boiling inside her. She laughed a little, dangerously close to crying. "I've had my fair share of letdowns, Sherlock Holmes, believe me. But… never has it ever hurt like this."

Sherlock winced, still looking away. "Lilly, I-"

"Don't 'Lilly,' me, you piece of shit, don't you even dare. There's nothing left for you to say. I should have listened to the others… Molly, Sally… even bloody _Mycroft_ … this is what I get for not listening to them. Because, you _are_ a psychopath, Holmes. You just… don't… care. And I should have known better." She sighed, feeling only slightly better. "Tell Rain that I'm going home. And say bye to John for me… your... d-daughter... has nice hair… and…" she locked eyes with the detective, taking his phone while he wasn't looking. Unlocking it, she scrolled through his contacts list. She tossed him back the phone a few seconds later, "don't contact me _ever_ again." Lilly walked off, attempting to erase everything that had to do with Sherlock from her mind.

Sherlock ran his hand through his hair, watching her go. He looked back down at his phone. A small box had popped up reading, "Contact deleted." He threw his phone back into his pocket and swore under his breath. Feeling quite lost, he walked back to his flat.

Rain jumped up. "Where's Lilly?"

"She went home. I'm guessing as soon as she turned the corner she started running, so don't try to catch up to her." Sherlock said, turning to John with a hateful look on his face.

Still looking towards John, his eyes shifted to Alvarie at his left. "Lilly told me to tell the two of you goodbye. And she was so kind to add that you have nice hair _._ "

"Oh, right... to hell she's going home…" Rain rolled her eyes knowingly.

John raised an eyebrow. "What? Where's she going, and why is she saying goodbye all of the sudden?"

The girl let out a sigh. "She's going to a bar to blow what little money we have. And she isn't coming back here. Or, at least she doesn't plan to. Which, by extension, means I won't either. Bye John, bye Sherlock… it's been fun…" Sherlock glared at the army doctor, still angry beyond belief.

John walked up to the girl. "Wait, Rain, can't you just talk to her?"

"I could, but now Sherlock's against her dating code."

"Her what?" John smirked a little. "She has a dating code?"

Rain nods. "See, if a person already has a significant other, or has a child, then she drops them, even if she honestly likes said person. There's other stuff too, but… those are the main ones."

John almost laughs. "Oh, come on… isn't that a little excessive?"

The girl shrugs. "Maybe, but it's what she lives by."

"You've gotta talk her out of this…"

"Yeah, yeah… I'll try… See ya…" Rain leaves, her vibe a mix of depression and slight irritation.

Then there were only the two Holmes and John left in the flat.

* * *

It had been a minute and a half after Rain had left the flat and the last three occupants still did nothing but shift uncomfortably. Alvarie questioned why she was even still there considering all that had transpired or even worse what could come next. It seemed as if John and Alvarie were in some sort of contest to see who could go the longest without making eye contact with Sherlock for more than half a second. Eventually, John lost. He looked up from his shoes and glanced at Sherlock with what could only be called pity in his eyes.

"What?" Sherlock said with a sharp edge to his voice. Alvarie flinched at his tone considering how quiet it had been between the three of them for so long.

"You can't even look at her, can you?" John replied, shaking his head back and forth. John's words made Alvarie fidget, as if a swarm of invisible bees were attacking her. Straightening herself out and attempting to calm her nerves, Alvarie headed out of the flat. Her eyes were trained to the ground as she left partly out of habit and partly because she knew if she looked up Sherlock would see her tears.

Only moments after her last footsteps had trailed down the stairs, Sherlock threw himself back onto his chair.

"I didn't ask for this John." he murmured, closing his eyes. John turned towards him, disappointment still clear on his face.

"You didn't have to _ask,_ Sherlock. You brought this all on yourself."

"You'd think I'd remember if I'd made that sort of error." Sherlock answered defensively.

"Your only _error_ was not doing a bloody thing ever to help her!" John shouted back at him, all the pity from earlier turning into pure anger.

"Why must you all care so much?" Sherlock asked, his eyes flying open to look John square in the face.

"Excuse me?" John said not because he couldn't hear what Sherlock had said but, because he didn't want to hear it. "I could care less about this whole situation and still care more than you. So far you've had three people walk out on you and I will be a fourth if you don't at least try and pull yourself together." He started to stand when he had finished speaking, walking towards the door.

"Do you think she's home by now?" Sherlock said causing John to stop walking and turn around to look at Sherlock. Instead of answering him, John continued to walk and soon Sherlock sprung up to join him. The pair fell in step beside each other, leaving the flat pointedly empty.

Alvarie wasn't too far ahead of them. She walked at a pace that a passerby would only deem as pathetic. Not the kind of pathetic associated with being out of shape but, the kind that makes you want to give a complete stranger a pat on the back. She trudged along turning the corner a couple blocks down from 221B, quickly approaching the underground station. Quite on accident Alvarie looked over her shoulder as she made the turn, spotting the moving figures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. This quickened her pace considerably. In fact, Alvarie practically raced down the street after she had spotted them, her heart pounding out of her chest. Making the mistake of looking a second time, she saw that the pair were now running as well.

By the time she had run up to the gates positioned at the entrance to the underground, Alvarie could barely stop her hands from shaking. Just as she was pulling her blue paycard from her coat pocket, a hand fell on her shoulder and she stopped. Alvarie turned around to look right into her father's face.

She tried to back up which caused her head to collide with a man behind her who has attempting to enter the station. As she mumbled an apology, Sherlock led her a few feet away from the entrance, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder so she couldn't run away. After they were away from the prying eyes of tourists and commuters, he spoke.

"Let me try." he said simply. Alvarie shot confusion back at him, a hundred different emotions consuming her at once. "Let me try, caring." He corrected, seeming to flinch at the last syllables. Alvarie's face relaxed a little as she tried to calculate what game Sherlock was trying to play with her. After coming up with nothing incriminating in his look she faltered, not knowing what to say to him.

"I…I'm not sure what you're trying to do but I want you to know that you can never apologize." She said, sucking in a breath and holding it there for a few seconds. Sherlock ran a hand through his hair trying to calculate his response. Seeing that he was struggling Alvarie took her chance to to make a break for the station once more. She was about to tap the blue card on the circle outside the gate when Sherlock grabbed her wrist to turn her back around.

"I find sentiment pointless and I've spent most of my life avoiding it. It didn't take me long to realize that you're the same." He said, still keeping a tight hold on her wrist.

"What?"

"I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid that when you stop hating me you'll have nothing. That you'll become me; seemingly void from all emotions." Alvaire flinched, dropping her eyes to look at her shoes. "You keep thinking that the more you care the more she's won." He continued watching as Alvarie's eyes became more and more distant. "Your hate, it controls you and you let it. You don't let anyone in to help you and you don't care enough to help yourself. Let me care." He finished with visible difficulty, looking up as to hide his expression. Just seconds after he uttered the last word sobs poured out of Alvarie. Her tears seemed to never end as Sherlock watched uncomfortably. Finally, she fell silent collapsing into Sherlock and pressing her wet cheek on the fabric of his coat.

Sherlock didn't know what to do so he glanced back at John who was standing some distance away. John mimed a hug encouragingly, causing Sherlock to turn back around, clearly embarrassed. However, he did attempt to do as John had suggested giving Alvarie a couple of awkward pats on the back. All the while, several people looked on, skirting around the two Holmes to use the other two gates. Annoyed looks were plastered on many of their faces.

A few minutes later, the two Holmes and John started to make their way back to Baker Street. However, there was still something missing for Sherlock. He felt like the hour hand on a broken clock. The minutes continued to pass but, he didn't move with them. There was something he still needed to fix or he was bound to stay still forever.


	3. Chapter 3

A classic rock song from the seventies played just above the sound of drunken laughter radiating through the bar. It was common for Lilly to come to a bar when she was in a state of complete confusion and loss. But this time was different. This time, things made sense to her. Everything was crystal clear... and she despised it.

In the past, Lilly had given her heart away at a small price. Insecurities made her believe that she wasn't worthy of the people that were kind and treated her well. It wasn't long before her trust was betrayed, making her change every last bit of herself. She made a vow to never grow even slightly attached to anything ever again. Then Rain came along and turned that upside down, but she let it slide, telling herself that she was simply caring for the child as a replacement parent, or big sister. But then came Sherlock.

That man swayed her into changing everything her past had taught her. He lured her in by seeming unattached and genuine, caring more about his work than the happiness of those around him. He was safe, she was sure of it. This child of his changed everything. It snapped what little she had kept of her code. Her code was her real safety.

"Oi, oi! You can't come in here!"

Lilly turned to see what the commotion was. Her neutral face dropped into a disappointed frown. She knew it. "Rain, what the hell?"

The girl walked quickly up to her and tugged on her sleeve. "Come on, let's get out of here." She looked around nervously.

"Why would I leave?"

"You'll spend all our money, now come on!"

Lilly pulled her arm back and gave the girl an irritated look. "Rain, I'm really not in the mood right now. Please, just go home to the HUB. You shouldn't be here."

Rain bit her lip, thinking quickly. "Fine, but don't spend all the money otherwise you'll have to get a job, lazy ass." The girl walked out of the room, only slightly bitter. Despite her age, she understood things that most girls at the age of eleven couldn't even dream of. One of these pieces of information was the roller coaster Lilly called a life.

The bar went back to how it was before the child walked in, making Lilly sigh and rest her head on the bar table. Being tipsy wasn't helping her raging thoughts.

A woman no older than twenty-five walked in front of her, a bottle of whiskey in her hand. "It must be bad if your kid came into a bar looking for you."

She looked up, laughing a little. "She's not my daughter. More like my little sister."

"Even still!" She filled Lilly's cup half-way. "Anything I can help with?"

Lilly sighed, taking a drink. The liquid burned the back of her throat, making her cringe a little. "Just found out a- really good friend of mine… has a kid."

The lady winced. "Yikes! That's gotta hurt."

"Yeah," she chuckled, shaking her head, "It sure as hell does." Lilly stood up, sliding a twenty across the table. "This should cover it. Keep the change."

The bartender smiled and handed her the bottle of whiskey. "Take it. It was going to be tossed tomorrow anyway."

"Thanks…" Lilly reciprocated with a weak smile as she took the bottle.

"Anytime! Good luck, mate." The woman smiled back.

Lilly waved a goodbye and left the bar, heading to her favorite spot to think.

* * *

Lilly walked up to Grove Park Cemetery, giving a nod of acknowledgement to one of the Cemetery was run by the HUB, but it hadn't always been that way. When the founders of the HUB set sights on taking over the abandon building in the middle of the forest, they knew that the graveyard would be a perfect cover. As the HUB grew, the jobs at the cemetery were slowly taken over by members of the HUB. This allowed the other members easy access into the forest, and a security system to keep non-members out.

As possessive as they might seem; the people of the HUB were not average civilians. These were people with criminal records. People who ran from the law in order to start anew. If the government found out about this sanctuary, it would be hard to say what would become of those who lived there.

The cemetery was silent. No vehicles, no people… no even the quiet voices of nature muttered a word. Only her footsteps could be heard as she made her way down the road, eyes locked on the asphalt below her. Lilly skipped down several cement steps, nearly tripping on the last one due to her drunken vision. When she finally got to an old willow tree, she plopped down, pulling her thighs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. Closing her eyes, she cleared the raging thoughts in her mind, tuning out the silent world.

Lilly sat there for what seemed like hours on end before she felt a hand on her shoulder, jolting her violently back into reality. She turned, reaching for a gun that wasn't there. She locked eyes with her attacker, quickly recognizing the face as Sherlock. She sighed and relaxed, turning back to the forest in front of her. "Peaceful, isn't it?" Lilly saw him sit down next to her out of the corner of her eye. "When I die I want to be buried right here… right under this tree." She let out a sigh, looking back down. "How'd you find me?"

He pulled out his phone and handed it to her. "Here's another thing you can find out about me."

The phone showed a satellite view of their location. Directly where the two were located on the map was a pulsing ring. "You track my phone?!" She handed the phone back. "That's insanely creepy, Sherlock."

The man shrugged. "It's a safety measure."

She smiled, but the look quickly faded. "As much as I want to believe that I somehow dreamt up the part where John said you have a child…" Lilly turned to him, "You wouldn't track me down unless you wanted to talk about something serious."

Sherlock looked at the tombstones that lay just past the road. "Her name is Alvarie."

Lilly took a deep breath. "You know that's German, don't you? Army of elves."

"You told me to leave you alone. I was expecting a bit more of a fight."

"I'm a bit tipsy, so I don't feel like mustering up the energy to fight you off." She held the bottle of whiskey in front of her before her arm fell uselessly back to her side.

He evaluated the bottle. "Not over your drinking habit I see."

"You smoke, I drink. It's not too different… Our habits will end up being the death of us at some point."

He tilted his head slightly. "True."

Lilly sighed, laying down, her eyes fixed on the overcast sky that filled the space between the leaves of the tree. "Who's the mother?"

"Irene."

Her heart sank a little. "Knew it… After all, she was everything I'm not… pretty, smart, clever…"

He winced. "Stop… please."

She glanced at him, her drugged mind disregarding his request. "It's true, don't deny it. She's gorgeous and confident and I'm a… I'm a sea lion. An ugly, stupid sea lion, that flops around to move."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow at the analogy. "What?"

"Yeah, I'm that sea lion from that movie with the fish? Its name was Gerald." She let out a drunk laugh. "Gerald the sea lion."

"I have… no idea what you're talking about, but can we please focus? There's enough of you sober to talk to, I know it."

Lilly looked from the ground to Sherlock a few times before sighing, "Fine."

"Yes, it's my child. I didn't know about her for a long time. Irene neglected her. When I was gone, John found out and took her to Mycroft. She got an education, but not much else. She ran off with these spray painters."

She looked at the ground. "Spray painters… Is Raz one of them?"

He nodded.

"I know him… I met him a few times. Said he wanted to move to the HUB but something was stopping him… I don't quite remember what." Lilly looked at Sherlock with realization. "So that's why you're locking up their business! You don't want her becoming like… you… Oh."

Sherlock blinked. "Sometimes I forget you can do that…"

Lilly's eyes sparkled a little. "You forget things?!"

"I got off topic. Come back." He watched the girl's eyes lose their glow. "Can we just pretend that never happened?"

She looked away. "I know what you mean, but… if I never knew then I'd be in the dark about it for the rest of my life. I'd rather know than never know… Ya know?" Lilly took another drink.

He was confused. "So… you don't mind?"

"Well, of course I mind! I hate it more than I can explain, but… I don't want it to be like it was before."

Sherlock sighed. "Why are you holding your stupid code so close to heart? Alvarie won't be around often anyway."

Lilly glared at him. "I can tell when you lie. You're trying to fix things with her. And the code keeps me safe."

"It does nothing, Lilly! It only narrows down your options to a select few!"

Her tone became ice. "Without my code, I'd be taken advantage of like I was before. I'd be abused again, and I don't want that, Holmes. I just don't. You denied the fact that you had a kid, but now that I know you do, it just shows me that you don't care about the well-being of the person you love. So why would I drop my code to spend my time daydreaming about a life that would only lead me to my doom?"

Sherlock was at a loss for words. "I didn't know that you were-"

"Well, pardon me for not telling you. What should I have done, hm? 'Oh, by the way, I was abused by several boyfriends in my past, so don't abuse me!' Yeah, that would have been great." She rolled her eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I would never-"

Lilly jumped up, eyes hateful. "Do you know why I liked you, Holmes? I liked you because you seemed so chill about everything. I let my guard down because it seemed like if I were to be in a ...thing… with you, it wouldn't be some sort of massive commitment! I dropped my code and I…" She trailed off but picked back up quickly with a small shake of her head. "But seeing that there have been others makes me wonder where they've gone! And now that there's a kid involved makes me wonder why the hell you weren't there for her the second you found out!"

Sherlock stood up. He felt smaller than her even though he was quite a bit taller. "Listen, I-"

"No, you listen! This," she pointed frantically to herself and Sherlock, "is over. Friendship, relationship… whatever you want to call it. I am going to remove myself from the situation before it turns abusive. I'd recommend that you simply delete me from that mind palace of yours; I'm just taking up space." She hissed the ending bitterly. "Now I mean it, Holmes… Just leave me alone." Lilly handed him her phone and walked away.

"Why are you doing this to yourself? You clearly don't want to."

Lilly stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"

"The only reason you're doing this is because you fear the possibility of reliving your past. But there is no possibility, Lilly."

She was still frozen in place. "You said it yourself… there's always a possibility."

"Yes, but… you have to believe that the possibility is irrelevant because it's improbable. For example; is there a possibility that this rock will float if I throw it in that puddle?" He picked up a small rock.

"Well… maybe if it was a fake rock…" Lilly turned a little.

"But is it?"

She shook her head. "No…"

"Exactly." He tossed the rock into the puddle, sending ripples through it. With Lilly's eyes locked onto the puddle, Sherlock took another step closer to her. "You see?"

Lilly thought for a minute before walking up to the detective, avoiding eye-contact. She hugged him, guilt washing over her. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be." He said, stiffening as she made contact with him.

She let go, backing up a bit. "I need to go home… Rain will get worried." Lilly closed her eyes for a second, head hung. After a moment she looked up at Sherlock, a partially fake smile on her face. "I need my phone, stupid."

Sherlock smiled a bit and handed her the small phone. "Want me to walk you there?"

She giggled. "Get a cab, detective."

He chuckled a bit. "Alright."

Lilly walked off to the forest, but stopped as soon as she got to the edge. "Sherlock?" She turned.

"Yeah?"

She paused. "It's... gonna take me awhile to get accustom to this new person, kay? It won't be back to the way it used to be in a split second."

He nodded back. "There would be something wrong if you were fine with it from the moment we solved things."

Lilly smiled, grateful that he understood at least this. "See ya, Holmes."


	4. Chapter 4

Lilly hung upside-down off of Sherlock's bed as he flipped through a seemingly endless wardrobe of disguises. He was looking for something to wear into a convention packed with nerds. "What do you think of this one?" The detective held up a Superman shirt.

"What would a shirt do to disguise you?"

"Alright, well then what should I wear?" He put the shirt back, giving the girl an irritated look. Lilly pulled out her phone and held it over her head, typing something in. Seconds later, she handed the phone to Sherlock. He looked at the phone, a questioning look on his face. "What is this?"

Lilly sat upright, a smile on her face. "It's cosplay! The people at the convention will all be doing it. Trust me, you'll blend right in."

Sherlock tossed back the phone. "How am I supposed to get that in two hours?"

"There's a costume shop not too far away… we could go there? The owner owes me a favor, so whatever we pick out is free."

With a sigh, he grabbed his coat. "Let's go."

* * *

The two walked into the shop, Lilly obviously overjoyed that she convinced the man to cosplay. "I'm so happy you trusted me on this one! I have so many ideas!"

Sherlock seemed unconvinced. "Name one."

"Doctor Strange."

"Doctor who?"

Lilly shook her head. "No, no… Doctor Strange. Not even close to similar." She pulled out her phone and searched the name on the internet. "This dude. He's in a comic book."

He shrugged. "Whatever."

The girl smiled brightly. "Alright, come on!" She took Sherlock's hand and ran over to a section of the store labeled as Fictional. Lilly scanned the section looking for the proper pieces. She walked over to a selection of red capes, picking out one with fancy designs on it. "Here." She tossed it to Sherlock, who gave it a hesitant look. Lilly was too busy looking for the next piece to care. It wasn't long until she found a blue shirt thing along with matching pants and handed that to Sherlock as well. She frowned at the wall, searching for something specific. Lilly pointed to several pairs of black and blue boots. "Find your size. What I picked out most likely won't fit, but you remember where I got them from. I'll be right back."

Sherlock opened his mouth to call out for her, but Lilly was already gone, off looking for the next piece of this overly complex disguise that would most likely attract more attention to him. But this is what he asked for, so he couldn't be too mad about it.

Not long later, Lilly returned with a golden necklace with a charm on it and an unusually thick belt. "Alright, did you find your size in everything?"

"Yes, but-"

"Good." She didn't let him finish. "We've got more to do, so let's go. Don't worry; I already talked to the owner." Lilly started walking off, texting quickly.

Sherlock kept up with her, but was confused as to why they were walking so fast. "What else do we have to do?"

She sent the text, looking at Sherlock with excitement. "Hair and makeup."

"No."

"Yes."

* * *

The pair was back at 221B, where Lilly stood sorting through a box of stage makeup, setting aside the ones she needed. "We're in luck; my friend Alice is a makeup artist and happened to be in town with her supplies! She's letting me borrow them."

"I'm not sure if 'luck' is the correct term…"

Lilly gave him an amused glare. "Watch it, Holmes."

He sighed, shifting in the wooden chair. "Is this really necessary?"

"You said you didn't want to get recognized! Trust me, after this it would even take John a minute to recognize you." She sighed, picking up a few different shades of concealer, holding them up to Sherlock. After a bit of squinting and comparing, she came to a conclusion and set aside one of them, pulling out a few darker shades.

Sherlock watched as the pile grew larger. "Do you know what you're doing?"

She nodded, "Yep! I'm amazing at this stuff, trust me." Looking over her selected items once more, Lilly smiled and turned to Sherlock. "Ready?"

"No." Lilly disregarded the response and began to apply the seemingly endless amounts of makeup.

She took a step back, gleaming with joy at her creation. "Perfect." Lilly handed Sherlock a mirror.

He looked at his reflection with pure shock. "How did you do this in an hour?"

"Magic!"

Sherlock glared at her.

Lilly giggled and picked up a bottle of clear gel, putting some of it on her hands. "Now for hair! This won't take long." She rubbed her hands together and tilted her head, looking at Sherlock's curly hair. "Okay, maybe a little bit longer…" She bit her lower lip and began to run her hand through his hair, making sure that it was no longer curly.

The detective sat awkwardly, watching Lilly's hyper focused gel work. "How did you learn to do this?"

"I don't know… I've been good at this for as long as I can remember. I think it has something to do with my memory. Like, I can visualize what it needs to look like, and I simply make changes until the vision is sitting in front of me." She tilted his head up with her wrist to avoid getting gel on him.

For some reason Sherlock didn't mind this. He almost enjoyed it… but he would never tell Lilly that. He knew that if he said something like that, he would become victim to countless hours of her messing with his hair.

"Okay, the style looks good. Now for the finishing touch." she grabbed a small plastic cup with some sort of liquid in it. "This will wash out, don't worry." She picked up the brush that sat in the cup and began to paint it onto both sides of his hair. "Done!"

Sherlock picked up the mirror and frowned. "I look old."

"You look awesome! Like a true magician."

"A what?"

Lilly giggled. "You're like this wizard dude… He does magic!"

"Great." He said sarcastically

She rolled her eyes. "You look bloody awesome. So get out there and… do whatever it is you do!"

Sherlock looked at his phone with a sigh. "Alvarie needs a place to stay tonight. I have to kick you out, by the way." Recently Lilly had been staying with Sherlock in the extra room so that she could be in London to earn some extra cash doing small jobs.

"No problem, she can come to the HUB with me! There's this big party tonight! She'll have tons of fun!" Lilly smiled brightly. "And I can get to know her a bit better. Plus, there's a room open!"

Sherlock gave her a slightly hesitant look. "Isn't it dangerous there with all the criminals?"

Lilly shrugged. "Maybe a bit, but she's a 'criminal' herself, so she'll fit right in. And besides… I'll be there."

He sighed, texting Alvarie the information. "Watch her, alright?"

"I promise!"

"She'll meet you outside of the Cemetery at seven."

Lilly nodded, "Sounds good!"

Sherlock stood, sending the final text. "She has your number. I've gotta go, see you tomorrow.

"See ya, Strange!"

* * *

It was as clear a day as it could be in the heart of London. The gray sky only breaking occasionally, revealing the tiniest glimpses of blue. One of these slices of clear sky hung over Baker Street, giving an optimistic attitude to the occupants of 221B. However, the gray was not entirely gone and the small bits of it left hung like bad memories.

A figure stood in front of the flat's door holding a single spray can in his hand. He was painting something on the door but, as he had just started it was not yet distinguishable. All of a sudden, the door flew open.

"Raz?!" Alvarie said, both surprised and alarmed at the same time. Raz stopped in his tracks his mouth hanging open, spray can still ready to fire at any moment.

"I.." He trailed off confused and at a complete loss for words.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked after he offered no explanation of his own. Glancing at the door and then back at Raz, Alvarie was horrified.

"You haven't been home so I thought, well I thought he'd gone and kidnapped you." He offered, wincing as he waited for a response.

"I know I should have called but, a lot happened and I didn't feel like talking."

"You never feel like talking." He smiled up at her with a knowing look on his face.

"This was different." She said as she leaned against the doorframe. Raz sighed a little letting his can drop to his side.

"I thought you hated 'im Alv. What changed?" She didn't respond opting to stare at the half painted door instead. "You wanted 'im in jail and you wanted 'im to rot there if I remember correctly."

"Just go." She said simply after a long pause.

"Go?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in a couple days. Don't worry about it." She finished letting her eyes linger on him for a moment before looking back at the door.

"Okay, whatever." He mumbled quietly dropping his spray can as he turned to leave. The can rolled around a few times before stopping just before the sidewalks end. Alvarie watched him go silently, her eyes telling a different story then her harsh words had. Eventually she turned, closing the graffitied door behind her.

After she had scaled the stairs, Alvarie made her way into the flat. Since Sherlock had been out on a case before she arrived, Alvarie felt at ease making herself comfortable on the sofa. John had come over earlier that morning and sat in his chair a safe distance away from her.

"What was that about?" He asked, his eyes scanning the newspaper he held.

"Raz was um, spraying the door. So I went and told him off." John looked up, surprise written all over his face.

"Right, what a nice boy." He grumbled to himself, continuing to scan the paper. Alvarie fidgeted uncomfortably not knowing if she was meant to respond to him or not. Deciding against it she opted to pull out her phone from her pocket.

Awakening the screen, Alvarie immediately saw two text message notifications. The first was from her half-brother Alger and the other from her reluctant father, Sherlock. Before she had made her way to Baker Street, Alvarie had asked if she could stay in the flat for a night. She hadn't checked her phone before she had left because she didn't think she could stand sleeping another night on a park bench. She wasn't homeless yet but, had been planning to move out from her current residence for over a month with no other alternatives lined up. So naturally, she checked Sherlock's text as quickly as possible.

"Meet Lilly at the Grove Park Cemetery at 7. She says she has a room for you at the HUB. -SH." He had also sent Alvarie Lilly's phone number just in case she needed it. Alvarie was grateful for a place to stay but, apprehensive about meeting Lilly especially since the last time they met had not been such a happy occasion. Pushing aside her anxiety for a moment, Alvarie quickly opened Alger's text, feeling guilty for not contacting him sooner.

"Where have you been Alv?" It read, causing panic to rise inside her. Alvarie had always taken care of Alger and leaving him alone with her roommates was the last thing she had wanted to do. She quickly texted back telling him to meet her in the same time and place as she was meeting Lilly hoping she wouldn't mind one extra person.

* * *

A few hours later, Alvarie found herself staring at the entrance to a large Cemetery. Two guards stood in front of it, each giving her rather passive-aggressive looks. She had arrived twenty minutes early seeing as she knew that her brother would likely do the same. Sure enough, she heard footsteps and a short boy with tousled brown hair could be seen through the fog at her back.

"I expected you to get here before me." She called behind her as he approached.

"I was going to but, I got held up at home." He said stepping up to align himself beside her. Alvarie turned towards Alger, discovering a new cut across his forehead that only added to his previous scars.

"What happened?" She asked, bringing her hand up to touch his head.

"We were all supposed to pay rent and you weren't there so they told me this would be my share." He offered pointing to the unattractive red gash and knocking Alvarie's hand aside simultaneously.

"Oh my god. I should've taken you with me days ago." She said, giving Alger a hug in the process. He stepped back wincing with pain only causing the concern that Alvarie already felt for him to rise. She hadn't been there for him and now she felt she was paying the price.

"It's fine, really. I punched Todd before I left." He said smiling a little through the stinging pain he felt. Alvarie let out a small laugh and elbowed him gently in the ribs, not quite believing him. "I swear I did!" He exclaimed, laughing between each word.

The pair quieted down after a while, scanning the horizon for Lilly's eventual arrival. While they waited, Alvarie quickly filled her brother in on recent events. Alger's reactions weren't the worst she could of hoped for but, they still could have been better. He was obviously angry she had left him without a word and it would be a few days before he got over the shock of it all. Eventually, Alvarie spotted Lilly coming towards them a ways away. To speed things up, Alger and Alvarie walked towards her at a brisk pace.

"Oi! What're you kids doin' out here this late?" One of the guards jumped in front of them, causing them to stop dead in their tracks.

"We were looking for, uh, a woman named Lilly? She lives here, at the HUB?" Alvarie responded, the imposing guards causing her uncertainty.

The guard cast a glance to the others, beckoning them over. "Look, kid. I don't know where you heard about this HUB place, but it ain't here. Go back to whatever hole you came from and tell your friends that there ain't a HUB here. Just dead people."

Lilly had started to run up to them. "Alvarie! Alger! Hey!" She skid to a stop next to the guards. "It's alright, guys. They're with me." She tilted her head, starting to turn around. "Come on, it's just through the forest." The three figures maneuvered their way through the forest, eventually breaking out into a large clearing lit by blazing torches. No more than two hundred people almost filled the space, along with the skeleton of a building and an old looking house.

Alvarie spoke first remembering that Lilly was probably confused as to who Alger was and why he was there.

"This is my half-brother, Alger." She said gesturing towards him awkwardly. "I hope it's okay he came; I didn't want to leave him at home."

"Yeah, Sure." Lilly said nodding towards Alger apprehensively. "Follow me, there's a lot going on so stay close."

Thus, they broke into a fast paced walk towards the ever approaching fires. As they walked they had begun to hear music as well which, was so loud that the words and style were barely distinguishable. Alvarie found it intriguing that they hadn't heard it from outside the Cemetry gates.

"I can put Alger with Rain and some other kids if you want." Lilly called over the music, looking back at Alvarie. Alvarie nodded gratefully turning to Alger just in time to see the disappointed look on the fourteen year old's face. At Alvarie's response Lilly made a slight right, heading past a group of drunken guys in their mid-twenties who were dancing wildly. Taking this path, they edged their way closer to the HUB and eventually through a worse for wear door at the front of the building.

After pushing past more party goers and climbing two flights of stairs the trio finally reached a semi-quiet floor that was completely void of people. The sight of this calmed Alvarie, who was not a big fan of parties or people for that matter. The vacant hallway they had entered consisted of at least four doors and the staircase they had come up from. Lilly stopped at the first door swinging it open to reveal a space that lacked any sort of decoration except for a threadbare carpet and a large sofa.

Five or six kids occupied the room including Rain, whom Alvarie had met a couple days ago in the same unfavorable circumstances as Lilly.

"Yo, Rain, I brought you a boyfriend." She said as she opened the door, laughing slightly. Alger blushed despite the fact that it had been a joke and Rain was in fact a few years younger than him. Rain was in mid conversation with another girl who looked about her age, but she offered a friendly wave and a smile in their direction.

"I'll be fine, Alv." Alger said crossing into the room and giving his sister a slight nod of encouragement. As worried as she was, Alvarie smiled back just before Lilly closed the door.

Lilly looked her up a down gathering a bit of information about Alvarie as she did so. "I take it you don't like parties much?" She asked almost rhetorically.

"Not really, no. I find them somewhat suffocating actually." Alvarie replied, looking down at her boots as not to look Lilly directly in the eye. Lilly nodded, thinking for a few seconds.

"Here, I know someplace we can go to talk." She said, "Follow me."

* * *

The two walked out of the HUB and back into the clearing. They weaved through countless people before arriving at the skeleton of a building that was many stories high. Lilly lead Alvarie up several flights of stairs, the booming music fading with each step. At last Lilly walked to the middle of the floor, inviting Alvarie to sit. There was a long silence before Lilly laughed inwardly. "I don't think we've properly met. I'm Lilly. Nice to meet ya!" She held out her hand.

"Alvarie. Hi." She shook Lilly's hand awkwardly.

Lilly held her arms out. "Welcome to the HUB! Have you been here before?"

The girl shook her head, "I've heard of it though."

"I see. Well basically, it's where people who are running from the law go to get some peace in the hopes that they will drop their acts and jump back into society. Kids come because their parents were criminals, and in rare occasions they were criminals themselves. We're a family, if you couldn't already tell that." She stopped, looking down. "It's uh… not always like this… Loud and crazy…"

"What's it for?"

"Oh, it's a party celebrating the 100th anniversary of the HUB being built." A small bit of pride sparkled in her eyes.

Alvarie blinked with shock. "100 years?"

Lilly nodded. "Yep! Pretty crazy, I know." She paused again, preparing to change the subject. "Look, when we first met… That's… not how I am normally. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble, and I really hope we can still be friends." She smiled semi-awkwardly.

"It's alright, don't worry." Alvarie reassured her as a hint of pain flashed through her eyes.

"Great!" She stopped suddenly, her eyes growing large. "Crap, what time is it?"

Alvarie pulled out her phone. "It's almost 8, why?" She gave Lilly a nervous look.

Lilly frowned at the time. "There's this sort of ritual that we do here… I have to do said-ritual at 8." She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking hard. "Alright, so Rain will be with me… Sherlock said to keep you within sight… Your brother is here and is younger so he'd have to be with someone…" She looked up. "Okay, here's the plan. We're gonna go back and get Rain and your brother, then Rain and I are gonna do the thing. Now you have a choice. Do you want to stick with me, or wait for me in the pit?"

She gave Lilly a concerned glance. "The what?"

"The pit." Lilly jumped up and walked over to the edge of the building, pointing down. Alvarie followed behind Lilly, peering over the edge in response to her finger. In the ground was a pit with a net half way down it.

Alvarie backed up, not liking the height. "I guess we'll stick with you…"

"Okay, great! Let's go!"

* * *

Lilly opened the door to the same room they left Rain and Alger in. "Hello!"

"Hey Lilly!" The room sang back. All except for Alger, that is.

Rain jumped up off of the couch and ran up to Lilly. "Is it time?" The girl's face was eager beyond belief.

Lilly smiled, nodding. "Sure is! You all ready?"

The children of the HUB cheered a yes.

"Alright! You're free to go! Meet at the Jump in ten minutes!" The kids ran out of the room, leaving Rain, Alger, Lilly and Alvarie alone. Lilly turned to the group. "Kay, let's head out!" They all walked back to the broken-down building, walking once again up many flights of stairs. Instead of the quiet of the last time, many of the floors were alive with people. They stopped at a particularly crowded floor when Lilly turned and pointed to the two siblings. "I'll be right back, don't move." She ran off, beginning to talk to a muscular man.

"That's Jeff. He's kind of the manager of this place." Rain informed the two, happy to seem smart.

Lilly returned to the three. "So, if you want you can participate in the ceremony? All you do is jump off the building into the pit."

Rain pitched in, barely able to contain her excitement. "It's super cool! You jump and it's like you're free-falling, but then you land safely in the net and everyone cheers!"

Alger looked at his sister pleadingly. "Can I do it?"

"What? No!" Alvarie was shocked at the boy's sudden courage.

"It's perfectly safe; I promise." Lilly smiled a little.

Alvarie looked at her begging brother and sighed, "Fine."

The four walked over to the edge of the building. Lilly turned to Rain. "Alright, you know the drill. Nothing special, just a simple back jump. You got this, Rain… I'm so proud of you."

Rain smiled happily. "Thanks Lil… See you at the bottom!" The girl walked all the way to the edge, waving to the crowd. She turned around shortly, closing her eyes. Leaning back she took a small hop off of the building and began to fall.

Lilly ran over to the post, hanging off it, watching Rain as she landed. She gave a thumbs-up to the small figure below, who reflected the gesture. Lilly walked back over, sighing happily. "They grow up so fast…" She turned to Alger, who looked far past nervous. "Hey, you got this, alright? Lean as far back as you can and take a small hop. You'll be fine, I promise."

Alger smiled and walked up to the edge.

A man announced the whole thing with a microphone. "Looks like we've got a new guy here!" Lilly whispered the boy's name in his ear. "Let's all cheer Alger on!" The crowd started to cheer Alger's name.

He leaned back and mirrored Rain's movements, flying off the edge and landing in the net with no problems.

Lilly turned to Alvarie, "Your turn!"

"What? No way. This really isn't my thing."

"Then do it with me! Come on, it's great, I promise." She giggled a little. "And it'll scare Sherlock a bit. Bonus, right?"

Alvarie glanced at the stairs, knowing that it was either jump or trudge back down to wait at the net. "I guess it's not that high… right?"

Lilly laughed. "Right!" She took Alvarie's hand and turned to the announcer. "Yo, this is Alvarie! She's jumping with me!"

The announcer nodded. "We got another one jumping with Lilly! Give it up for Alvarie and Lilly!"

Lilly held Alvarie's hand up and turned around. Alvarie copied her. "Three, two, one, JUMP!" The two fell together, Lilly letting go and cheering the entire way down. Alvarie on the other hand screamed. Her eyes were squeezed shut. Seconds later, they hit the net, knocking the breath out of Alvarie. Lilly, however, knew how to land and was perfectly fine. "Wasn't that amazing?!"

Alvarie lay in the net, staring up at the building she just jumped from. "S-sure…"

"You did great. Here, I'll help you out." Lilly rolled out of the net and pulled it down, allowing Alvarie easy access to solid ground. Lilly turned to Rain, who gleamed with pride.

"I did it, Lilly…!"

She bent down to the kid's height, taking the girl's hand. "I'm so proud of you…" Lilly hugged Rain. "All grown up!"

Rain pushed her back a little. "Oh stop. I'm still only eleven."

Lilly smirked, standing up. "Come on, it's late. Let's get to bed." Her and Rain walked a still-recovering Alvarie and adrenaline-rushed Alger to an open room a few doors down from Lilly's. "This is your room. You're free to stay here for as long as you like, just be sure to tell me so I can get the word across to the higher-ups. Night!"

"Goodnight." The two said back, entering the room.

Rain looked up at Lilly. "I'm gonna sleep at Jess's tonight."

Lilly nodded. "Alright, but don't stay up too late. Night, Rain."

The girl smirked and gave Lilly a hug. "Night, Lilz." She let go and ran down the hallway, meeting up with her friend at the staircase.

It had been an insanely long day for Lilly and she was more than ready to get some sleep. She unlocked her room and locked it again behind her, immediately flopping down on her bed. She kicked her shoes off and scooted her way up to her pillow, not bothering to change. Moving onto her side, she felt her gun press into her hip. With a moan, she pulled it out, turning it on safety and pushing it under her pillow. It took her a grand total of two minutes to fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Lilly awoke to furious banging on the door. She pulled out her gun from under her pillow and turned the safety off.

"LILLY! LILLY, IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" The girl immediately recognized Rain's voice and sprang out of bed, rushing to the door. She opened it to find Rain drenched in tears.

"Rain, what's wrong?" Lilly asked, her face filled with concern.

Rain struggled to get a full sentence out. "Jess… i-i-i-is d-d-dead!"

Lilly's eyes widened. "Oh my god."

"And t-t-t-this was t-taped on her b-body…" She sobbed, handing Lilly a note that appeared to be typed on a computer.

The note read; "You're next."

Lilly bit her lip and pulled the girl into her room. "Here, take Midnight." She handed Rain a small stuffed black cat and threw a blanket around her. She took Rain's hand and ran a few doors down to Alvarie and Alger's room to find that the two had already come out to see what all the commotion was about. "Sorry, but we need to go. You two are welcome to stay, but we really need to go." Without waiting for a response, Lilly ran off with Rain.

The two sprinted through the forest, jumping easily over fallen trees and bushes. They knew this forest like the back of their hands. Not long later, they broke out into the graveyard, running out the gates without acknowledging the guards. Just by chance, a cab pulled up. Lilly flagged it down and they both got in.

"Are you two alright?" The cabbie asked, looking concerned.

"Somewhat. 221B Baker Street, please. Fast."

* * *

Lilly knocked frantically at the door. Minutes later, Ms. Hudson opened it. "Lilly? Rain? What are you doing up at this hour?" The older lady's face looked concerned.

"Rain is in danger. Is Sherlock up? I texted him that we were coming." Lilly talked quickly, slightly out of breath from running.

backed up, allowing the two to come in. "He won't mind. After all, this is a state of emergency. I won't let anyone come in unless I know them, I promise dear." She said in a hushed voice, as if talking too loud would draw the killer.

"Thank you very much, I'm so sorry." Lilly walked the girl upstairs and opened the door to Sherlock's flat. "Sit here, alright? I'll be right back."

Rain nodded, still recovering from shock.

Lilly peaked into Sherlock's room, the door wide open. The detective was still asleep. She sighed and walked over to him. "Sherlock, wake up." She shook him a little.

He blinked open his eyes, gazing up at Lilly. "What? Wait—why are you here?"

"Rain's in danger. Someone's out to kill her."

Sherlock sat up fast. "Are you sure?"

Lilly gave him a look of frustration. "Of course I'm damn sure! I wouldn't come here at one in the damn morning for a false fucking alarm, now would I?"

He put his hands up in submission. "It's too early for that."

"Help… please?" She looked down, avoiding eye-contact at all costs.

"Don't ask questions you know the answer to." Sherlock quoted the phrase Lilly repeatedly told him.

The two walked into the main room where Rain sat with a dead stare. Lilly sat next to her and gave her a protective hug. "Sherlock's gonna help, alright?"

Rain nodded absentmindedly. "Kay."

Sherlock pulled up a wooden chair, sitting down. "Describe everything in as vivid detail as you can. If it makes you uncomfortable, you're doing it right." Lilly glared at Sherlock, pulling the girl closer to her.

"I woke up because I rolled onto Jess by accident. When I shifted my position, there was something wet and sticky on my hand and leg. I went over to my flashlight and saw that… it was blood. I was trying to figure out where it came from, but I couldn't find any cuts. It wasn't from me, so I turned to Jess and… She had several stab wounds… in her chest and stomach. This note… w-was attached to her forehead." She handed him the note shakily.

Sherlock looked it over, and then set it aside. "Lilly, what will they do with the body?"

"They'll bury it by sunrise unless I call Harold and have him close off the area." She pulled out her phone, ready to text.

"Do that."

Lilly typed quickly. "Done."

Sherlock turned back to Rain. "I need to know what her eyes looked like."

Rain gave Sherlock a miserable look. "H-her eyes?"

"Yes. It will help me calculate how long she was dead for before you found her."

The girl let out a shivering sigh, thinking back. "W-well… they were glazed over... they… looked like… f-fogged glass…"

"Interesting."

Lilly kicked Sherlock in the shin, glaring again.

The detective returned Lilly's glare. "That's all I need, thank you for your cooperation. You'll be safe here. Trust me, Rain. I'll solve this and you'll be safe."

* * *

 _Alvarie sat still in the center of a small white room, her eyes almost burning holes in the walls with the intensity they held. Gradually, the space around her began to change. The walls began to peel, turning from their clear white to a muddy gray in a matter of moments. The floor shifted beneath her as cracks cut their way across its surface. Even she had begun to change. Her cotton candy hair grew longer and was suddenly a dark curly brown. She was a child again and she was back in her old room. A shabby apartment in America where her and her mother were forced to hide indefinitely. The door to her room shook behind her and she could hear screams, so many of them and all directed at her. She had locked the door she remembered suddenly. She had locked the door and Alger was outside. The screams were his…._

Alvarie's eyes flew open as she drew several uncontrollable breaths. The screaming from her dream had continued and to her she hadn't woken up yet. Alger jumped up quickly from beside her, almost throwing himself off the bed.

"What's going on?!" He said, alarmed at the noises coming from the hallway and unaware of Alvarie's sudden panicked state. After she offered no response, Alger turned towards his sister. "Alv?" He asked, obviously concerned by her heavy breathing and glossed over stare. Suddenly, a look of realization crossed his face and he jumped into sat beside her wrapping her in a hug in an attempt to calm her down. "It's over Alv. You're not there, you're safe." He said several times as she began to come back to reality. Slightly dazed, she got up and walked towards the door where the commotion continued outside. Regardless of her episode, Alvarie unlocked the door and pulled it open, peeking her head into the hallway. After learning nothing, she opened the door the whole way and Alger came to stand with her in the hallway.

There were people everywhere. Some looked panicked and others just stunned with looks that could only be caused by grief. The pair stood there tired, dazed, and confused while the rest of the HUB's occupants hurried about, reacting to whatever had just happened. Alvarie watched the crowd with wide eyes, the ghost of her nightmare lingering within in them. Alger glanced at Alvarie every few minutes taking note of how pale she was, his concern growing greatly.

After a while Alvarie spotted Lilly. She was tearing through the hallway with a frightened Rain close on her heals. The girl was wrapped in a thick blanket and a stuffed kitten was halfway to suffocation in her arms.

"Sorry, but we need to go. You two are welcome to stay, but we really need to go." Lilly said, skidding to a halt for a mere five seconds before running off quickly in the other direction. Alvarie and Alger watched the two of them go, left with zero time for reaction.

* * *

"We need to get you out of here." Alger took Alvarie's arm leading her through the crowd and down several flights of stairs. Her hands shook violently and Alger did his best to steady them as they made the distance to the edge of the forest that separated them from the graveyard. They stopped there and Alger took his hand away searching Alvarie's face for signs of color.

"I-I'm okay." She said finally, blinking and looking Alger in the eye directly for the first time since she woke up.

"Sure, and my name's Bruce Wayne." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he looked back at her, his eyes pleading for the truth. After a while, Alvarie relaxed sighing heavily.

"Fine, it was the same one as before and yes, before you ask, it is the fifth time it's happened this month."

Alger's face hardened as he scrunched up his shoulders awkwardly, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "When will it go away?" He asked in a small voice, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"I could ask you the same question." Alvarie replied, looking back at him with matched intensity.

Alger looked away, his floppy hair rearranging itself messily on his forehead. When he turned back his face was ridden with earnest regret. "How…?" He trailed off, unable to find a suitable set of characters.

"You talk in your sleep, same as me. I've talked to Todd as well and…"

"He told you I've been having nightmares." Alger said nodding.

Alvarie took a careful step forward, laying a hand on her brother's shoulder. "You don't have to keep stuff from me all the time."

"Keep what from you?"

"Oh, come on. This and your whole 'I'm the strong one' stance? I've known you your whole life Alger, you'd think I'd see it every time you slip me a lie or build a facade around yourself." She looked him in the eye and he flinched, knocked off balance by her gaze.

"I hate it when you do that." He mumbled, blinking and rebalancing himself. "It's like you're Scarlet Witch or something..."

Alvarie chucked, letting her hand fall back to her side. "You don't have any responsibility to protect me, you know that right?"

Alger hesitated, still dazed from her intense stare. "It's just you seem so…" He scratched his head in thought, a grimace spreading across his face.

"Fragile?" Alvarie offered raising her eyebrows in defiance.

Alger's eyes widened and he let his hand drop suddenly. "No, no. That's not what I meant Alv … I don't know … It's just that you seem like you're drifting lately … "

Alvarie locked eyes with him again. "I'm not drifting anymore than you are yourself."

"I'm only trying to help…"

"So that you can feel busy? So that you can take your mind off it all?" Alvarie interrupted him, stepping forward again.

Alger let his shoulders fall in defeat, withdrawing his hands from his pockets. "Why must you always be so damn telekinetic?" He asked, a small smile playing at his lips.

"Because I raised you." Alvarie said, her face still serious despite his smile.

"Well thanks Mom." Alger said his voice and expression plastered with mock solemnity. He stepped forward wrapping her in a rough hug and tousling her pink and blue hair.

The pair laughed for awhile but soon quieted again. They sat down on the grass and looked ahead at the HUB, talking and not talking simultaneously.

* * *

Alvarie's phone buzzed. "It's my d-, it's Sherlock." She quickly corrected looking up at Alger briefly before reading the text. "He says one of the young girls was killed at the HUB and Rain was listed as the next target on a note by the killer." Her eyebrows furrowed as she continued to stare at her phone. "And he wants me to come over there as soon as possible…" She trailed off, clearly confused as to why Sherlock needed her at Baker Street.

"Wow, that's terrible. I can't imagine what Rain is going through."

"I know but, I can't see why I have to be there if I have nothing to do with the situation." She said rubbing her forehead in thought.

"Well I can see why you almost called him dad. I mean he's actually worried that you'll be killed by the same person that killed that kid even though you didn't even know her." Alger flashed her a grin, earning a smack on the head.

"Shut up." Alvarie said getting up and brushing the grass from her jeans before turning to walk through the forest. Alger followed her, the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

Several broken branches and one grouchy cab driver later, the pair arrived at Baker Street. Alvarie had done the best she could to compose herself so Sherlock couldn't read her but, it was a near impossible feat considering how increasingly pale she had become in the past hour. Guessing it was the last thing his sister wanted to do, Alger knocked on the door twice and they stepped back waiting for an answer.

"Hello?" Mrs. Hudson said cautiously as she opened the door a crack. "Oh, it's you two. Come on in then." She opened the door wider, allowing Alvarie and Alger to step inside. Mrs. Hudson shut and locked the door behind them in a frantic motion. "Go on up, they've been waiting for you." She said, eyeing Alvarie and motioning up the stairs.

The sight that greeted them upon entrance to Sherlock's flat was nothing less than pitiful. Lilly sat on the sofa hugging Rain tightly who sported the same wide eyed look that Alvarie had earlier. Sherlock sat across from them deep in thought and clearly already on his way to solving the case.

"Good, you're here." He commented, getting up to meet them at the door. Somewhere along the way he noticed Alvarie's slight weariness and her pale skin causing him to give her a quick searching glance. "Obviously Lilly won't leave Rain and John would never forgive me if I woke him at this hour of the morning so I need you to come with me to the crime scene." He looked at Alvarie waiting for a response even though he had clearly already made up his mind.

"Right, so you called me all the way over here when I could have just waited for you at the HUB?"

"If I had told you to wait you would have been gone as soon as I arrived. The HUB triggers trauma from your childhood and I couldn't risk you running back to those spray painters who, by the looks of it, recently took a beating to your brother." He said, pointing to Alger's fresh scar. "The only way to ensure your cooperation was to trick you into thinking you were coming somewhere safe where I could then persuade you to go back with me." He grabbed his coat from a nearby chair, throwing it on as he awaited her response.

"Persuade me then." She said simply, too tired to be offended or fight back.

"If my hunch is correct, which it always is, your mind works exactly like mine. If I can get you to start using it then, we can solve this case faster and save Rain's life in the process." He brushed passed her exiting the flat, confident that Alvarie would follow him. After giving a simple nod in Lilly and Rain's direction she did just that.

Sherlock flagged down a cab and entered it as quickly as possible. Alvarie did the same, sliding into the seat next to him apprehensively. After he had mentioned their final destination to the cabbie there was a short silence in the car.

"What do you know about Alger's father?" Sherlock asked after awhile, not even bothering to look Alvarie in the eye. She didn't answer at first, clearly taken aback by such a forward question.

"I can remember his voice."

"Did it sound like this?" He pulled out his phone which displayed a video on its surface. Suddenly the video started and a man's face appeared on the screen. His hair was slicked back and he wore an expensive looking suit.

"Did you miss me?" He said in a constant loop. After a few seconds, Sherlock put his phone away. He turned slightly in the hopes of reading Alvarie's expression. Her skin had become even paler than before and her eyes looked as if they were lost in a memory. A cold shiver shot up her arm as she began to nod slowly towards Sherlock already knowing what he would ask.

"This man's name is Moriarity and I firmly believe him and your mother are behind this murder. I need you to tell me anything you heard when you lived with Irene that could help me to figure out why they did it." He finished, an almost insane determination held in his eyes. Alvarie stared ahead, barely hearing Sherlock speak. She was far away by then, reliving the past in a way she never thought she would.


	6. Chapter 6

**Cake: Hello! Wow I can't believe this is my first author's note on here! Anyways, you may have noticed that Grass and I neglected to post this yesterday. I'll have to admit that is my fault because I came down with a fever and couldn't really concentrate on editing. But we are back now! So sorry about skipping though! Hope the drama of this chapter makes up for it!**

 **Also, I'd like to add a huge thank you to all of you who have reviewed and taken interest in this story. It means a whole lot to us! If you're new here though, welcome! As a reminder we post _mostly_ every Friday! Enjoy! **

* * *

Rain had been staring into space for the past twenty minutes. "Lilly…?" The girl whispered the name as if speaking would lure her killer.

"Yeah?"

The girl shifted out of Lilly's grasp, staring at the floor now. "I remembered something about my family."

Lilly braced for the worst, knowing that her family wasn't exactly supportive of Rain. "What did you remember?"

"They hit me because I killed my brother."

"You… You what?" Lilly stared at the girl, eyes confused.

Rain still stared at the floor, her eyes unmoving. "It was an accident… I… We were playing some game in the house, and I threw a ball and it hit the ceiling fan. The fan fell, its blades cutting open his chest. His eyes… they looked just like Jess's." A tear dripped onto the floor. "I bring death, Lilly…"

"That's not true…"

The girl sighed. "I knew you'd say that." She stood up, starting to walk away. "I'm going to bed." Lilly stood up to follow, but Rain stopped in her tracks. "I need some time to think, Lil. Alone." With that, the girl walked upstairs to the spare room.

Lilly sat back down with a sigh. "What the hell is going on…?"

Alger shrugged, "I've been wondering the same thing."

Lilly smirked at this, letting out a small laugh, not fully expecting a response. "I almost forgot you were here… Aren't you tired? Here, lay on the couch." She got up and walked over to the red chair, curling herself up. Lilly pulled out her phone and began texting Sherlock. "It'll be insane in The HUB. Keep your guard up and don't say anything rude. They will harm you and I won't be there to stop them."

In a matter of seconds, Sherlock responded. "I'll be fine, stop worrying."

"No, I mean it, Holmes. The mother will hound you, so simply don't respond."

"Alright, mum."

"I hate you sometimes."

"I know."

Lilly sighed with slight aggravation and put her phone on the circular side table. Remembering once again her gun, she pulled it out and set it next to her phone. She felt someone staring at her, so she turned to find Alger staring wide-eyed at the gun. Lilly sighed and turned the safety on then set it back down. "You're fine, I'm not gonna kill you."

Alger tilted his head. "Where'd you get that?"

She shifted a little. "Depends… do you want the truth or a lie?"

"Truth."

"I stole it from a weapons shop when I was seventeen." Lilly glanced at the boy again. He seemed fascinated. "Don't steal; it's bad."

He nodded furiously.

Lilly stretched and got up, heading to the stairs. "Be right back. Scream if something happens." She stops, turning with an awkward smile. "Which it won't… obviously." Lilly turned back around and cringed slightly before walking down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen, giving Ms. Hudson a smile. "Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm gonna go to sleep."

Ms. Hudson nodded, "Alright dear. Have a good night."

"You too." She smiled and walked back upstairs to find Alger a step away from her gun. Lilly fake coughed, a smile spreading across her face.

Alger turned quickly, eyes wide. "I just… was uh… Sorry." He walked back to the couch and layed down.

Lilly picked up her gun and phone and walked upstairs. "Night, Alger." She continued her walk to the spare bedroom and slowly opened the door. Rain was fast asleep inside, curled up with the stuffed cat. She smiled and set down her things before lying down next to her and quickly falling into sleep.

* * *

Alvarie stared blankly at the back of their cabbie's balding head, feeling Sherlock's eyes searing into her left side. He was expectant, breathless for information, not seeming to care how much it might hurt her to give it.

After a few uncomfortable minutes, Alvarie relaxed when she saw Sherlock turn towards the window out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to have realized that pressing her any further might be a bad idea. However, Alvarie knew how important it was that she provide the information. The last thing she wanted was to have Rain's blood on her hands if something were to happen. Taking a breath, Alvarie began to speak, causing Sherlock's head to take a sharp eager turn towards her.

"We spent most of our time hauled up in some dingy little room. Of course, at first it was just me, until Alger appeared one day. I suspect my dear old Mum had given up on him about two years on and decided to throw him in with me, her grand failure." Alvarie paused, her voice dripping with anger before gaining steam once more to continue. "I count myself lucky he wasn't a newborn then, otherwise he would likely be dead by now. We got meals whenever she remembered to give them, sometimes once a day, other times with days in between. I think she was conflicted about us but, she ultimately decided to cast us aside. She was probably eager to save more food for herself since our lifestyle was far from glamorous while she was in hiding."

Alvarie stopped again, turning to look at Sherlock to gauge his reaction so far. His face showed no traces of emotion, he only looked attentive and almost manic for the information he required to solve the case. Seeing that she was looking at him searchingly, Sherlock was jarred out of his transfixed gaze.

"Uh-" He started before breaking off, clearly confused at what she wanted him to say.

"No, I don't want you to say anything. Not until I'm finished." She resolved after a few moments silence. It only took her a few more to regain her composure before she launched into her story once more.

"Alger and I would keep each other occupied by attempting to read some of the moth eaten books in that room, picking up bits and pieces of language. It certainly helped with boredom but, most of all it kept our fears at bay for a while. Mum was practically harmless on her own and a few times she would get our hopes up, trying to feed us more or even talk to us for a while. Early on, she visited us more often until something changed. He started coming to our house.

"At first, we would only hear them, Mum yelling and a man's voice speaking back to her calmly. Then, later on we heard less yelling and more screaming, the man's voice more and more dominant over her own. The worst of it came probably about a month after he started coming. One day, Mum came to our room and took Alger with her. I didn't think much of it because a feeble hope inside me thought she might finally be taking interest in us. I remember waiting up hours and hours for him to come back. Finally, just when I had resolved to fall asleep, the door opened and Alger was thrown inside. I rushed over to him to see if he was okay and what he said to me I only understood later due to the little we could speak. He kept repeating 'bomb' over and over again sometimes with a 'he' or a 'show' added. I now take this to mean that the man we had heard for the past few weeks had killed someone in front of Alger that day.

"Unfortunately, Alger was taken out of our room several more times each time more horrified than the last. Sometimes, I even heard his screams along with Mum's when the man came. I-" Alvarie stopped suddenly, tears beginning to slide their way down her cheeks. At the same time, the cab grinded to a halt, causing Alvarie to look up at the driver. Instead of the balding head she had expected to see, there was now a man with a full head of slicked back hair sitting in front of her. Slowly, he turned around to face them.

Although there was a manic grin on his face the man was unmistakably the very same one that Sherlock had showed Alvarie on his phone minutes earlier. She had only just registered this information before he began to speak.

"Aww, look." He said, putting on a plastic frown. "You've made me tear up!"

"What do you want?" Sherlock asked, disregarding what Moriarty had just said. A look of sheer determination crept up onto his face, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"You're slipping Sherlock! Thought you'd have figured it out by now." He said in a sing song voice that sent shivers down Alvarie's spine. Almost as if sensing her fear, Moriarty turned from Sherlock to Alvarie. "How's my son?" He asked, a smirk spreading wide on his face. Sherlock leaned forward in his seat, his face becoming dangerously close to Moriarty's.

"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do and don't think for a second that you'll manage it." He drew out the last words, practically spitting on Moriarty as he spoke. Moriarty's grin just seemed to spread wider as he finished, laughter gleaming in his snake-like eyes.

"Oh, Sherlock." He sighed, shaking his head. "Last time I was warming you up. I like to think that I've scorched you just enough for the burn to be twice as bright." The two men looked at each other intensely for a while until Sherlock slid back into his seat, considering Moriarty with a watchful eye.

Alvarie watched their battle closely, still shaking from fright and becoming increasingly pale by the minute. Moriarty stole several sideways glances at her as Sherlock watched him, a smirk accompanying each one. Finally, after what had seemed like hours, Moriarty made his next move.

"This has been excellent!" He said with a tinge of fake regret in his voice. "However, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave Sherlock." Sherlock raised his eyebrows casually as if he was expecting these very words to leave Moriarty's mouth. Nevertheless, it was clear that he, Sherlock Holmes, was the slightest bit frightened in that moment.

"I suppose you have something grand planned to get me out of this car and away from my daughter." He replied, trying to sound bored by Moriarty's attempt to get to him but, failing quite miserably.

"No, Sherlock. I thought I'd ask politely for a change." Moriarty said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Before the last of these words could even leave his mouth, several red dots appeared against the window pane behind Alvarie. They shone through the car dramatically and landed with a certain finality on her chest. Horror stricken, she looked down at herself and back up at Sherlock, a panic rising quickly inside her. Without a word, Sherlock opened the door closest to him, shut it behind himself, and began to walk away. His shadow disappearing a few feet from the car in the black night.

* * *

Lilly awoke slowly. Her head hurt and her vision was dotted and blurred. Squeezing her eyes shut, she attempted to get the dots away, but to no avail. Giving in to the dots, she sat up, keeping her weight rested on her arms. The action sent the world spinning before her in a sickening way. Turning to the clock, she stared at it until she could make out 2:47 AM on it. "Ugh, god…" She rubbed her eyes, almost falling back down as she did.

She dragged her hands down her face, feeling something soft tickle her arm. Lilly quickly drew her arm back, her senses kicking into action. She stood and stumbled her way to a mirror, attempting to make out what the item on her neck was. It looked like a furry ball of fire, but she knew very well that was impossible. "If this is some sort of spider…" She removed the furry thing, sending a sting of pain down her neck. She held it inches from her face, inspecting it.

"Morning, sleepy head."

Lilly jumped at the voice, reaching for a gun that wasn't there. She squinted at the figure, adrenaline pumping. "What the hell is this?" She threw the thing at the feminine voice, missing by a mile.

The figure laughed. "You told me you never miss!"

Her heart stopped. That voice… but… it couldn't be… No…" She took a step back.

"That's right… long time no see, Lilly."

"Irene Adler…" Lilly wanted to kill the woman, but she couldn't even focus her eyes on her. "What the hell do you want?"

She chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? To make him suffer."

Him… she could only be talking about Sherlock. "What are you gonna do to him?" She snarled, anger rising.

"Oh, Lilly… I'm not going to hurt him!" Irene grabbed Lilly's shirt, pulling Lilly closer to be only inches away from her face. "I'm going to hurt what he loves." The Woman let go, walking over to the bed. "We were going to get John's baby, but sweet ol' Mary hasn't given birth yet, so that was out…" She took Lilly's gun. "Then we found out about you! And he adores you, Lilly… So, we got to thinking, how do we hurt this rock of a woman?" Irene tossed the gun out the open window. "Well, we do what we're doing to Sherlock! Hurt what she loves." She sat on the bed and stroked Rain, who had the same furry object in her neck. "It's nothing personal, Lilly. You just happened to be here."

Lilly breathed heavily, the world spinning more and more. "Don't. You. Dare."

Irene laughed hard. "What are you going to do about it? You're drugged! That thing you attempted to throw at me was a sleep dart. You'll be knocked out soon, so how do you plan on stopping me?"

Her eyes watered. "Please… I'll do whatever you want, just please don't hurt her…"

"Sorry, darling… but it's the only way."

"NO THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY!" Her head throbbed as she yelled. "Please… Irene…" She stumbled into the dresser. The Woman opened the door to the bedroom and two men entered. They started to pick up Rain as Lilly watched helplessly. "Stop…"

Irene walked up to Lilly and held her hand. "Shhh… sleep now… It'll all be over soon."

Lilly began to hyperventilate, and did what her parents taught her; fight. She pushed Irene back and ran up to the men, punching and kicking as hard as she could. One man turned and shoved Lilly back, sending her flying into the dresser, knocking the breath out of her.

"Oh Lilly, the brave Leo you are… Loyal to the end, aren't you? We both know it'll be your downfall, sweetheart. So why do you do it? Why don't you just give up?" She sighed, turning away. "Until next time, Lilly."

Lilly fought with all her might to run after Rain, but sleep dragged her down. "Rain… I'm sorry…" Then darkness consumed her.

* * *

Lilly awoke less than an hour later to Alger shaking her frantically. "Huh…?" Suddenly remembering her previous encounter, she jumped up, a desperate look on her face. "Rain. Did you see her? Did they take her? What happened?"

Alger blinked, overwhelmed by the questions. "I don't know they shot me with this before I could do anything." He pulled out the same sleep-dart that Lilly and Rain had from his pocket.

She sighed and walked over to her phone. Unlocking it, she found dozens of texts and missed calls from Sherlock. "What the hell…?" Lilly scrolled through her contacts list and called Sherlock, pacing nervously. No answer. Lilly let out an irritated grunt and paced faster.

Just then, the door of the flat flew open and angry footsteps stormed up the stairs to the spare room. "Why didn't you answer?" Sherlock's eyes burned with hate.

Lilly gave an irritated look. "Well, I was kinda busy!"

"Oh yeah? With what?" He hissed.

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "LOOK AROUND HOLMES! WHAT'S MISSING?" Lilly watched his face go from angry to confused in a split second.

"Where's Rain?"

She gave a desperate and defeated look, holding back a river of tears. "Exactly…" Lilly sat down on the bed. "They took her, Sherlock… They took her and I couldn't do anything."

Sherlock let out a sigh. "So they have both our girls, then."

Lilly gave a confused look. "What do you mean, both?"

"They have Alvarie too."

"Damn…" She hissed under her breath.

He paced, fingertips pressed to his chin. "How could you not do anything?"

She jumped up, defensive again. "Alvarie's mother decided to pop in and say hello! She gave us sleeping darts as a gift!" Lilly picked up the dart she had attempted to throw at Irene long ago. She sighed, not wanting to start an argument. "Everything was spinning and I could barely move. I tried, I really did. I'm sorry."

Sherlock avoided eye-contact. "They had snipers on her. They'd shoot if I didn't leave."

Lilly gave him a pitiful look, knowing he wouldn't see. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. Why are you doing that?" He looks at her, eyebrows furrowed.

"Because sometimes apologizing for things you didn't do makes some of the pain go away. And right now there's a damn lot of pain." She flopped back down on the bed. "I give up… they win."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't say things you don't mean."

She gave him a glare. "Don't read me when I don't ask you to."

"If you stopped being so overdramatic I wouldn't have to." Sherlock retorted without a thought.

Lilly froze, her face slightly red with embarrassment. "Shut up, Holmes." She said in a quiet voice.

Alger looked back and forth between the two adults. "So… what now?"

Sherlock took a breath. "We wait for an opportunity. Currently, Moriarty is holding all the cards. We're going to have to play by his rules for now."

"What about Alvarie and Rain?"

Lilly and Sherlock exchanged a glance for a split second before looking away again. Lilly spoke before Sherlock could tell him the truth. "They'll be fine, don't worry. They're the bargaining chips. If they're damaged, they…" She trailed off, realizing her point had flaws. "Uh, t-they'll be fine."

Alger looked down. He knew she was lying, but something about the truth not being said made him feel less bad. "So we just… wait?"

"Exactly." Sherlock said, looking out the window. "We just wait."


	7. Chapter 7

Alvarie heard loud voices as she opened her eyes. A dull pain in the back of her head told her that she had been knocked out shortly after Sherlock had abandoned her. However, she was not exactly sure what had happened since she couldn't seem to remember anything but the cab ride and Sherlock leaving. Her surroundings were cloaked in darkness, the only light a sliver a few feet from her which, she suspected to be the bottom of a door. Outlined in the light was the figure of a young girl. Trying to scramble to her feet, Alvarie slid across the floor in an unflattering spider like movement. Pain seared through her and she quickly touched her right shoulder where it was coming from, revealing a wet sheen of red blood.

Deciding to continue her feeble attempt to get to the other side of the room, Alvarie groped her way along helplessly. With a little bit of luck and perhaps some help from all those hours she had previously spent climbing up the sides of buildings to escape the police, she reached the door. Breathing heavy as pain coursed through her veins, Alvarie shifted the body towards her. She took a sharp breath when she saw Rain's face staring up at her and quickly checked her pulse. Relieved with the news that the girl was alive, she fell onto her back.

The minutes ticked by slowly and to aid Alvarie's growing anxiety there was no stirring from Rain. She hardly dared moving to check on her due to the steady rate to which she was bleeding. The voices from earlier hadn't stopped but, she could no more make out what they were saying then she could figure out where she was in the first place. So far the more she thought about it the more her head felt like someone was splitting it in two.

Thus, time passed steadily onward and the more it did the more she became aware of the blood trickling its way out of her shoulder. As soon as she was starting to contemplate what her death might feel like one of the voices from outside became clear.

"I know what your agenda is Jim but, I'm not going to let you manipulate me so much that I let my own daughter bleed out in front of me." said an angry voice that unmistakably belonged to Irene Adler. Both terrified and slightly relieved at the same time, Alvarie stiffened hearing the door rattle.

With a click, it swung open letting in a blinding amount of bright light. However, Irene quickly closed it, sending the light back to it's place behind the door of the dark room. Narrowly avoiding stepping on Rain, she knelt down next to Alvarie who had closed her eyes, barely daring to breath.

"I know you're awake Alvarie." Irene said impatiently. Alvarie reluctantly opened her eyes but, being unable to move for fear of pain, just stared blankly at the blackness above her.

"I don't have much time nor do I have the skill to heal your injuries but-" She broke off lowering her voice to any even lower whisper. "I would have never have done any of this and things might have been different before if it weren't for that man. I'm trying to get a signal to Sherlock to let him know that I'm still on his side but, I'm not sure he'll believe me…" She trailed off then and Alvarie knew exactly why. Her mother had been the one to take Rain from Lilly and there was only a slim chance that Sherlock would believe anything Irene said after hearing Lilly's account of the story.

"I need your help" She continued, "I'm going to text Sherlock exactly what you tell me. He'll know it's from you and we'll be able to continue from there. I don't know what Moriarty's next move will be but, I'm certain it all has to do with tearing Sherlock apart." Alvarie let her words sink in for a while, pondering what she could say to her father that would let him know it was her. After a while she relayed the message to Irene in a weak whisper. Irene sent the text to Sherlock swiftly and it read as follows.

"I'm with Mum as you read this. She can tell you where we are if you'll let her. Rain is here too and I'm 93% sure that Moriarty is the only one at fault. There is a bullet in my shoulder and I would appreciate help if John's not still angry about what Raz sprayed on your door. Take care of Alger while I'm gone -AH"

Once this task had been completed Alvarie lay in silence with Irene sitting next to her, both hoping desperately for a quick reply from Sherlock. When a slightly uncomfortable amount of time had passed with no reply, Irene shifted to a standing position.

"I better go." She said, stepping back around Rain to make her way to the door. She paused before gripping the handle unsure if she should say anything else. Deciding against it she left, the light coming and going with her.

With her mother's absence Alvarie was left with a sliver of hope and twice the anxiety she had before Irene had entered the room. It had been a couple of minutes after her exit when Alvarie noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Are you awake?" She asked tentatively.

"Alvarie?" An unsure voice asked back.

"Yeah."

"Good, I wouldn't wish this on Lilly." She sighed in relief before realizing what she had said. "I mean not that I want you to be suffering but-" Rain cut herself off, terror clearly lining her words although she made some attempt to hide it.

"It's okay." Alvarie said firmly, not wanting Rain to have to worry about anything more than their current situation. "We'll be fine, you know." She added hastily to try and ease the young girl's mind. Rain didn't answer and a weighty silence settled between them for a while.

"How do you know that's true?" Rain asked finally.

"I don't." She replied honestly before she could stop herself. The exhaustion of her injuries had started to take it's hold and she could barely regulate what came out of her mouth.

"I like you." Rain said to Alvarie's surprise. She then gave a short shaky laugh that ended up sounding more like a whimper.

"That's good seeing as we might be here for a while."

"Grown ups always try to tell me things will turn out alright when they haven't got a clue if they will." Rain continued almost as if she hadn't heard Alvarie speak. "You don't do that. You're just honest."

"Thanks." Alvarie said, feeling her eyelids become suddenly heavy. She fought for several seconds to keep them open before giving in to sleep.

Alvarie's mind drifted, sharp jolts of pain from her shoulder waking her up every few minutes. Rain hadn't spoken after their recent conversation leaving her with her pain and whatever terrible thoughts crept in while she was half asleep. Although she mostly thought about how she could been on the edge of death Alvarie also allowed herself time to daydream how her and Rain could escape. She knew she couldn't attempt it but, all the same it filled the time she spent waiting for news from Irene. Occasionally she would hear Moriarty and her mother talking from behind the door but it was never anything she could decipher. It was what seemed like hours later when Alvarie was shaken out of her restless sleep but, it was not for a pleasant reason.

"Kids!' Moriarty's voice called from the other side of the door. "How would you like to get out for a bit?" He asked, laughter plainly displayed in his voice. Alvarie's heart sank, her worst fears beginning to realize themselves inside her head.

* * *

Lilly found it physically impossible to sleep. She had been lying on the couch for at least two hours now without even the smallest feeling of sleepiness. Her mind was too focused on the fact that she couldn't save Rain. No… 'Couldn't' wasn't the right word because she could have saved her. She could have done more. She just didn't. Lilly found it physically impossible to sleep because her mind was too focused on the fact that she didn't save Rain. Lilly squeezed her eyes shut and threw herself into a sitting position, anger and self-hate boiling inside her.

After a while, Lilly heard a rather rude moan coming from the direction of Sherlock's chair. Lilly gave a confused look and walked cautiously over to it, finding Sherlock's coat. She looked inside the pockets, finding his phone. Turning it on she saw the screen alert that there was a text from Irene… Deciding that she should proof-read it, she unlocked the phone and read the message silently. "I'm with Mum as you read this. She can tell you where we are if you'll let her. Rain is here too and I'm 93% sure that Moriarty is the only one at fault. There is a bullet in my shoulder and I would appreciate help if John's not still angry about what Raz sprayed on your door. Take care of Alger while I'm gone -AH"

She blinked in attempt to figure out why she would send this. It sounded like it came from Alvarie, but… Lilly shook her head and walked into Sherlock's room.

"Holmes." She found the man with nicotine patches on his arm. She rolled her eyes and tossed him his phone. "You have a text from your Woman."

Sherlock gave Lilly a sideways glare, but said nothing. He looked at the phone. "You read it, didn't you?"

"I did. What about it? You were gonna tell me anyway, right?" She said expectantly, knowing the answer would be no.

He gave another glare, this one a bit more annoyed. Looking back to his phone, he read the text. "I'll text John."

Lilly gave an exasperated look. "What, you're just going to go along with this?"

"Why wouldn't I? It could save Alvarie and Rain."

She looked like she was going to explode with confused shock. "You're just going to trust Irene? What kind of logic is that? This is obviously a trap!"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why are you so against help?"

"BECAUSE, THIS IS COMING FROM THE LADY WHO TOOK RAIN AWAY! WOULD YOU TRUST MORIARTY, SHERLOCK? NO! YOU WOULDN'T! SO WHY TRUST IRENE?" She stopped, balling her hands into fists. "Oh, I know why… It's because you still like her, don't you? Despite everything she's done, she's still..." Lilly bites her lip, taking a deep breath. "Look, Holmes. I'm going to get Rain back, and I'm gonna do it my way. Do what you want, but I won't be there to help you."

Sherlock shrugged. "Okay."

Lilly flinched slightly at the lack of care in his voice. "Good. Glad we have an agreement." She started to walk away.

Seeing her leave without stopping confused Sherlock. "Wait, I've made a misjudgment, haven't I?" He jumped up and followed her, matching Lilly's brisk pace as she went down the stairs and out the door. "I thought you just wanted me to agree to do it your way, but obviously I was wrong."

She flipped her hood on. "Obviously."

"I was wrong and I see that you were serious about your distaste in trusting Irene."

"Rightfully so." Lilly quickened her pace, but Sherlock kept up, much like a puppy.

He started to panic a little, quickening his words. "We have different opinions, which I think is normal for couples, isn't it?"

Her face turned a slight red. "Who says we're a couple?"

Sherlock stopped at this, blinking several times in confusion. After a second he ran and caught up with Lilly again. "Never mind that, the point is that I can't be alone in this."

"You'll have John…" Lilly tugged on the drawstrings of her hood, blocking Sherlock's slightly desperate look.

"No, because he'll get mad and not help me if you leave." He grabbed Lilly's arm. "I can't be alone, Lilly… I need someone to show off to."

All sense of regret disappeared at that moment. "Of course you do." Lilly pulled her arm back and kept walking, increasing her pace.

He thought for a moment. "Wait… wait I've said the wrong thing again!" Running in front of her, he spun around and walked backwards. "Have I ever told you how incredibly brilliant you are, Lilly? You're insanely brilliant. Even more brilliant than me, dare I say. Well, almost that is." His eyes widened for a second before continuing. "A-and you're brave! You jump off of buildings and risk your life… it's… actually quite impressive."

She turned, smiling when she was sure he wouldn't see. "Mmhm…"

"And… you're my friend. I don't have many of those, so that's an achievement in its own!"

Lilly stopped, giving Sherlock an innocent look. "We're friends? I thought we were a couple…" She kept walking, smirking when she heard the footsteps stop and pick back up again.

He walked next to her, a happy smile on his face. "You're amazing, Lilly! You're a brilliantly clever female!"

She took off her hood and smiled a little, giggling under her breath. "Why are you still following me, Holmes?"

"Oh, you can drop the act now, brilliant. I understand what you're doing and I love it."

Lilly gave him a look. "Oh?"

Sherlock nodded. "You reminded me how I lose my judgement when I feel I'm right. Clever, clever girl you!" He stopped and grabbed Lilly's shoulders. "Don't you ever change."

She nodded furiously. "You're right Sherlock! That's… what I was doing and you were completely right. Shame on you, Holmes!"

His face dropped into a disbelieving one. "You were just walking away because you were annoyed with me. You had no intentions of getting me to realize anything about myself at all, did you?"

"Yeah." Lilly looked down awkwardly.

He sighed and walked back to his flat. "Fine, we'll do things your way."

"Am I still clever?!" She ran after him.

"Mmmm…"

Lilly laughed. "Don't ignore the question!"

Sherlock shook his head, pulling out his phone. "Although I am getting John over here. It's been long enough." He texted quickly then put his phone back in his pocket.

"He's gonna flip when he finds out what happened." Lilly smirked.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

 **Hello all! Grass and I are very sorry that it has been 15 million years since we last updated. Life got in the way... Anyways, this chapter is pretty intense so hopefully that makes up for the long wait! Sorry again! Enjoy!**

 **-Cake**

* * *

Alvarie's surroundings were blurred at the edges. The world around her ebbed and flowed like running water and it took all her strength just to keep her eyes open. Moriarty had thrown them inside the cab she had arrived in, taking the driver's seat next to Irene. Rain and Alvarie sat precariously in the back, Alvarie's shoulder losing more blood by the minute. She didn't dare ask where they were going and couldn't tell for herself since she was on the verge of fainting every few seconds.

She couldn't discern how much time had passed by the time the car stopped with a sudden jerk, sending a sharp pain up into her shoulder. There was movement all around her as Moriarty and Irene opened the doors, helping Rain out of the car first. From the little she could see two extra men seemed to have arrived. They held guns which were trained at Rain and Alvarie's heads, little black blurs in her obstructed vision. Then, she felt a pair of rough hands on her shoulders causing her vision to fade to black once more. Blindly, she was practically thrown out of the car, landing on her hands and knees. All at once she felt more pain then she had ever experienced in her entire life. Her breath shortened causing a knot in her chest and her stomach ached painfully. Her shoulder was the worst of all.

After being shoved to standing, Alvarie resolved to close her eyes and rely on the rough pushings from one of the two men to guide her. However, after a few minutes, she felt the light tug of Rain's hands on her arm and was able to let the young girl help her for the rest of their journey. She tried desperately to stay alert, grasping for thoughts that would keep her alive. To her dismay, these were few and far between.

Several flights of stairs and multiple cramped hallways later, Alvarie felt a cool breeze hit her face. Shortly after, she felt a sharp tug on her arm from Rain, they had stopped.

"Who wants to do the honor of calling Sherlock?" Moriarty asked, his footsteps sounding dangerously close to Alvarie. "How about his daughter?" Alvarie could almost hear the grin that crept up his face. She opened her eyes to her ever spinning vision and stared blankly back at him.

"No." She answered coldly, hardly recognizing the determination in her own voice. Alvarie didn't want to endanger Sherlock, not to mention John and Lilly who would inevitably accompany him.

"No? Well that's a shame. I would have thought your dear old dad would want to be here when I drop you off of this roof." His voice sounded pleased, almost gleeful at Alvarie's response. She saw his figure move closer until his face was inches from hers. "I guess I'll just have to ring him myself." He drew out the last words maliciously, practically spitting on Alvarie.

She shut her eyes tight again when a wave of nausea hit her. The world had begun to blacken around the edges. She felt herself shifting backward onto her heels as if she was watching it from afar. Her head ached, her shoulder burned, and Rain's fingernails dug into her left arm trying to keep her steady. However, Rain's feeble attempts to keep her standing were no match for the increase in pain she felt and she flew backwards. Alvarie landed with a thud on the concrete, a new trickle of blood quickly expanding from the back of her head.

 _Blackness surrounded her at first, creeping into every corner of her mind and extracting the light. She tried to pry her eyes open and on the third attempt they did her bidding. All of a sudden, she was walking in a vast corridor of light. Giant lamps flickered on both sides and she could see a great object lying in the distance. Only it wasn't an object, it was her own heart. She started at it quizzically as it began to beat faster and faster until it stopped suddenly, beginning to melt in front of her. She clawed at her chest frantically, looking back and forth between her own body and the gigantic heart in front of her. Her breath was leaving her body, her eyes losing their light and-_

 _"Alvarie?" A voice said as if from a great distance. She looked around quickly for its source as everything came to a grinding halt around her. She was greeted by the blackness of her eyelids once more._

The voice continued to say her name, over and over again in a calm even tone. Her eyelids felt as if they had glued themselves together, deciding never to be opened again. Finally, after much effort, she opened them. A certain relief flushed over her, the corridor and the melting heart had been a dream, she was back on the blurred rooftop. However, her relief was temporary because it was an equally hellish environment.

There was something new in the backdrop of her vision. A figure loomed in front of her, the very same that had been calling her name moments earlier. Alvarie recognized it as belonging to John Watson. From her limited sight she could tell that John had been using medical supplies on her and to her surprise some of the ache in her shoulder had vanished leaving only a dull throb.

"John?" She questioned, trying to sit up. He pushed her back down, concern quickly flooding his face.

"No, stay down." He whispered, leaning into her ear. "Moriarty is still bent on chucking you off the roof and if you stand you might faint and get another bullet at the same time." She nodded her understanding and looked back at him, fear plainly flooding her face. As she watched him, he put a finger to his lips and stood up disappearing from her slim line of sight. She turned her head gingerly to the right, trying to follow John's movement. To her surprise her eyes rested on what looked like a crowd of people. She could easily pick out the forms of Sherlock, Lilly, Rain, and John but, it was difficult to discern who the others were. Alvarie quickly assumed that Irene and Moriarty must be among them but, as for the others she had no clue as they resembled masses of black on the edges of her vision.

"Ah, I see our patient has recovered Doctor Watson." A voice said from within the mob of people. Alvarie watched as a pair of shoes came nearer to where she lay. Suddenly, she was being jerked to her feet causing the world to resume its spinning. A rough hand held her up by her hair which, she later realized, belonged to one of the armed men from earlier.

A rush of footsteps followed shortly after she had been brought to standing. Among them she was certain was Moriarty. Confirming her fears, the man that hand been holding her threw her into Moriarty's looming form. He grabbed her by her shoulders and she closed her eyes again as they began to move towards what looked like the edge of the building.

"Please think about what you're doing." Sherlock's agitated voice called from behind. Moriarty ignored him and continued toward the edge. Alvarie felt wind hit her from behind and she was all too aware of the fact that she was now hanging off the edge of a very tall building. "It'll be just like jumping off the HUB" she tried to tell herself as she felt Moriarty's grip slipping from her shoulders. She heard voices shouting from behind Moriarty and she tried to tune them out. She shut her eyes tighter, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She wasn't ready for death and a small part of her was hoping to be saved by someone, anyone. Seeing no way out, all Alvarie had left to do was prepare. Prepare for the fall.

* * *

Lilly's heart pumped fast, adrenaline turning every sense on in a way she'd never experienced. Her mind worked at lightning speed, playing out every possible scenario of how this could end. This was all too familiar to her; as it had only been a few years ago that Sherlock was sent flying off a rooftop. But this time there would be no clever getaway; just two thuds and two dead girls. Doing the only thing she thought plausible, she ran for Alvarie but only got a few steps before a bullet scraped her side. She let out a quiet yelp at the sudden pain, but stood undeterred, her eyes still burning with confidence. Every voice silenced as Moriarty and Lilly stared eachother down. Lilly's look faded into a cocky smirk, as if the entire situation was some sort of test and she found a stupid error to make fun of. "What's up with you and rooftops?"

Moriarty smiled a little. "The same could be asked about you, Lilly."

"True, true…" She took off her jacket and tied the sleeves tight around her wound. "What do you want to see us do, Jim?"

He laughed. "Isn't it obvious?!" He gave a manic look, "To see you burn." The man put emphasis on the last word, gripping Alvarie tighter.

She frowned. "It's fire and rooftops for you, isn't it? Geez, what's up? Is it metaphorical or something? Childhood trauma? Seriously, it's excessive…" Lilly took a few steps closer to the edge of the roof, testing how far she could get without being shot again.

"I don't have time for games, Lilly… cut to the chase…" He sang, looking at the morning sky.

Lilly laughed under her breath. "But this is a game, Moriarty… This is your game where you see how far we can go before we snap."

The man stopped, staring Lilly in the eyes. Suddenly, he smiled brightly. "Ding, ding, ding! We've got a winner! Congratulations, Lilly! And here's your prize for being such a clever girl." He pushed Alvarie forward, sending the girl tumbling to a halt in front of Lilly, no more harmed than she was before. Lilly blinked, thoroughly confused by the outcome. Moriarty was quick to notice. "What? Were you expecting me to do something… dark…?" He added a hint of blame to his voice, acting offended. "Oh, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly…" Moriarty walked over to Lilly until he was only inches from her face. "You really are clever, aren't you? I can see why he likes you so much."

She stared intensely at him. "What can I say? It's how I was raised."

"Then you must have some amazing parents, Lilly. I'd love to meet them."

Her eyes lit up. "I'd love for you to meet them as well!" In a split second her face turned dark again. "They're dead. Feel free to join them."

Moriarty widened his eyes, clearly not expecting the answer. "Ohohhohh! Yikes! That one hit me right here, Lil!" He pressed his hands to his chest, taking laughing steps back. "Oh… But you are right, darling; I do plan on doing something dark." He pulled Rain forward and skipped over to the edge of the building, Rain fighting him the entire way. "Last words, Rain?"

The girl put on a tearful smile as her feeble attempt to look brave. "See ya on the flip side, Lil..."

"Rain, I-" Lilly started, eyes wide with terror.

Moriarty laughed and pushed her off. "WHOOPS!"

Lilly bit her lip and squeezed shut her eyes. After a few seconds, there was a small thud, followed by an eerie silence. She didn't look up, her voice barely above a whisper. "I hate you…" Sherlock took a step forward, but was stopped by John. Lilly finally looked up, her eyes dull and hopeless. "Fine. You win. Do what you want, I don't care anymore."

Moriarty smiled, "Attagirl!" He took her hand. "But you're gonna have to prove it…!" He sang.

"By doing what?"

He smirked, a malicious grin on his face. "Glad you asked. Push Alvarie off the roof for me."

Lilly glanced at the bleeding girl. "Kay." She walked up to Alvarie and pulled her up, walking her over to the edge.

"Lilly, what are you doing?" Sherlock asked, panic rising in his voice.

She didn't answer, just kept walking until she reached the edge. "It wouldn't be fair unless we both lost our girls."

The voices of her friends started to beg for her to stop, their words blending together until it was no longer possible to pick out a single voice or even word. Moriarty was the exception, his chant rising above the rest. "Do it, do it, do it!"

With her dead eyes, Lilly put on the faintest of smiles. "See you soon…" she whispered only loud enough for her to hear. Seeing Alvarie's confused look was the last she saw of the girl before she let go, sending her figure falling below the edge. Lilly turned to the group, greeted by shocked eyes. Even Moriarty looked slightly taken aback by her actions. "There. I did it. Now there's one last person I need to take care of."

Moriarty took a step forward. "And who might that be?"

Lilly scoffed. "Isn't it obvious?" Her face turned dead and emotionless as it was before. "Me." With that she flung herself backwards off the building.

"NO!" Sherlock ran up to the edge, only to stop halfway in defeat.

Moriarty took a laughing breath. "Well! THAT was unexpected! Oh well! That's all of me for now! But don't you worry yourself none… I'll be back." The sound of a helicopter approached, coming to a hover right next to the building. Moriarty took Irene's hand and they jumped onto the helicopter, disappearing into the sky. "Chou!"

Sherlock walked the rest of the way to the edge and peered over, bracing himself to see three dead bodies. Instead, he saw none. Only splatters of blood remained where the bodies should be. He backed up. Not only were they dead, but they were gone. Something inside him broke. Sherlock stared after the helicopter, fire burning in his eyes. They'd pay for what they did; he'd make sure of it.

… (Just an hour before) …

Lilly sat on her phone, texting someone urgently. Sherlock had been trying to decipher what she was typing, but it didn't work out for him. She looked over to the detective. "Can I help you?"

"Who are you texting?"

She smiled slightly. "I'm not. In the case that I die, I'm arranging my funeral." She showed him the screen. "It's just an extra precaution."

Sherlock furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would you die?"

The girl shrugged, going back to typing. "Anything can happen." She waited for Sherlock to leave the room before letting out a silent sigh. Happy to have him off her back, she continued her texting conversation. _"If anyone finds out, we're screwed."_

 _"You think I don't know that? Look, Lil, I've got you covered, trust me."_

Lilly frowned at this. _"You work for Moriarty."_

 _"But I put my home first. We all do. I've talked to the guys and we have it all arranged."_

 _"Then explain it again."_

The person on the other end sent an unhappy text-face before typing out the plan. _"Moriarty plans on throwing Sherlock's girl and Rain off the building, then taking their bodies to burn. He won't look off the edge, because that's the signal to the snipers to shoot, so once you get him distracted, don't do anything that will make him want to put another bullet in you."_ The text ended and another started. _"Once you start talking, be clever and a complete smart-ass to piss him off. He'll then drop Sherlock's kid and take Rain, throwing her instead. Remember, he wants to make you brain-dead. Do something he knows you won't do; throw Alvarie. Once you do that, jump yourself. We'll have a net at the bottom to catch you. Once we have all of you, we'll need to move quickly. Jump from the net, then run to the van with the others and they'll take ya to the HUB. Moriarty is expecting to get you in body bags wrapped up in a tarp. We have replicas of you, Sherlock's girl and Rain ready to go. We'll put those in the bags. Hopefully he won't inspect the bodies and just record throwing you all into a fire. You can't communicate at all with anyone until this video is out. Everyone has to believe you're dead, including Sherlock, which will be the hardest part."_

 _"And what if Mycroft finds out? He always does…"_

 _"Let him. He knows the steaks. Hopefully."_

Lilly sighed. _"This is going to be difficult."_

 _"I know, but don't worry; we've got this covered. Everyone in the HUB is in on it."_

 _"I'm putting more faith in you than anyone else in the world. Don't let me down."_

 _"Yeah, yeah… Jim's gonna call you in about 45 minutes. Be ready."_

Sherlock walked back in. "Alright, now you're texting someone. Who is it?"

She smiled slightly. "I'm leaving you a goodbye note. It'll send in five hours unless I cancel it."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh cut it out, no one is dying today."

"I sure hope not…" Lilly stared at her phone, meaning every last word.


	9. Chapter 9

Rain dashed up to Lilly and hugged her tight, tears in her eyes. "I thought you were really gonna let me die, Lil…"

Lilly squeezed her eyes shut. "Never." The whole arrangement was thought out in a way not even Sherlock Holmes could detect.

"Oi, Lilly… This one's bleeding bad." A man around Lilly's age kneeled next to Alvarie, whose shoulder was severely wounded.

She gave Rain a small smile before walking over to Alvarie. "Can you fix it?"

The man sighed slightly. "I'll see what I can do, but we're gonna have to get out of this building before someone sees us."

"Alvarie…?" Lilly shook the girl lightly. "Can you hear me? We're gonna get you fixed up, alright? Hang in there."

Alvarie opened her eyes slowly, but they immediately burned with hatred. "Y-you're… j-just like… h-him…"

Lilly blinked at this, completely dumbfounded. Before her mind went back to working, Alvarie was picked up and carried to a black van by one of the members of the HUB. She followed absentmindedly, still puzzled by what Alvarie meant. Lilly got into the van and glanced over at Rain, making sure she was alright. As the vehicle began to move, she leaned back against the wall of the car and fell asleep.

* * *

 _"Can you hear me? Uh… h-hello?" A voice called anxiously through the darkness. Everywhere she turned was pitch black, the source of the voice nowhere to be seen. "Are you alright, darling?"_

 _She didn't recognize the voice. It didn't belong to any of her relatives, so who else could it be; her dog? The girl smiled at the thought of this voice belonging to her golden retriever._

 _"Oh good, she's waking up. Darling, can you hear me?" The voice spoke again, this time closer than before._

 _The girl let out a breath, pulling herself out of the darkness. Her eyes blinked open. She stared at the woman before her, whose hazel eyes were more than relieved._

 _The woman laughed a little. "I thought for sure I would have to take you to hospital!" She hung her head down for a second before looking back at the girl. "My name is Ms. Kingston. I found you outside of my orphanage. What's your name, darling?"_

 _She blinked at the word. The lady was British, no doubt. Her voice sounded funny and no one in this area called someone darling unless they were very old. That wasn't to say that this woman was young, because that would be a straight lie. This woman was old, but not gray-hair-old. Her hair had seemed to have been graying for some time now, but it was not all gray yet. The for the most part, the roots of her hair seemed to still be a dark brown, much resembling the color of her eyes. They were very dull compared to hers and her parents. Suddenly remembering that she had been asked a question, she blinked with a hint of pondering in her superiorly colored eyes. Hesitating for another second, she spoke. "Lilly." The girl said with resolute._

 _"Nice to meet you, Lilly. May I ask where your parents are?"_

 _Reality hit her all at once in a blow that made her recoil. The blood, the gun, her mother. "Dead." She didn't look up. "Killed." Lilly sat up. "I have nowhere to go."_

 _Ms. Kingston gasped slightly. "There was a gunshot… was that…?"_

 _Lilly nodded, knowing the rest of the question. "Yes."_

 _The woman put her hand over her mouth. "Oh dear, I am so sorry… How about you stay here? I'll get you in a room and we can put you in school..."_

 _She nodded again. "Alright."_

 _"Don't worry, Lilly darling… Everything is going to be just fine."_

* * *

The van hit a bump, causing Lilly to hit her head on the metal car, jolting her back to reality. Sitting across from her was a knocked-out Alvarie with uncompleted stitches in her shoulder. Next to Alvarie was the man whom Lilly had talked to earlier, who was hyper-focused on his work. There were a few more men that Lilly had seen around the HUB before, but hadn't had any sort of interaction with. Next to Lilly was Rain, who seemed zoned out.

With a sigh, she rested her head again and remembered what Alvarie said. "You're just like him." What did she mean by that? She furrowed her eyebrows and began to think. The first step was figuring out who she was referring to. Who would she have such a strange hatred for? Moriarty was the first name that came to mind, so she decided to entertain the possibility. What had she done that Moriarty had done or would do? Kill Alvarie? Yes, but that was too obvious and Lilly knew she could never really kill her. Fake death? True again, but Sherlock had done the same thing… that didn't make her just like him…

Just as she was starting to get somewhere, the van screeched to a halt. They were back at the cemetery. The others worked to get Alvarie out, so Lilly and Rain sat in silence watching. Once they were out, the two girls exited and began to walk to the forest. Lilly stopped at the edge of the trees and let the girl keep walking. Instead of going to the run-down building she called home, Lilly walked to a small path leading away from the location of the HUB.

She used to come here all the time when she was younger. She knew this place like the back of her hand. The path began to fade into grass, the forest slowly welcoming her inside like an old friend. Lilly turned back, making sure that she was far enough away before taking off into the dense land. Jumping over fallen trees, and dodging bushes, she finally came to a stop at a small clearing with one lone tree in the center. Memories of her childhood at the HUB washed over her as she touched the bark of the tree.

Quickly snapping out of it, she remembered that Sherlock had a tracker on her phone. Regretfully, she took out her phone and went into the settings. Deciding to save the detective some time, she disabled the password on her phone then erased all her messages and cleared many of her contacts; ensuring information didn't somehow reach Sherlock. Lilly slowly sat down and set her phone on a pile of fallen leaves. Lilly closed her eyes and attempted to think like Sherlock. She knew she had to put something exceptionally close to her, but… what…?

She slowly moved her hand up to her necklace. Knowing that Sherlock would think she was dead if she left such a precious item, Lilly clutched the charm tightly before squeezing her eyes shut and unhooking the necklace, sending it falling onto her lap. With a heavy heart, she laid the necklace on top of her phone. Satisfied, Lilly stood up and stared at her belongings for a few seconds, then turned away, deciding against taking the direct route back to the HUB.

* * *

Sherlock jumped out of the cab, leaving John to pay the cabbie. Hardly waiting up, he flipped out his phone, walking at a brisk pace.

John ran to catch up with the man. "So Lilly is here at the HUB? That doesn't make much sense to me…"

He glanced at the doctor. "Lilly had said that some of the people here work for Moriarty. It wouldn't shock me if they secretly brought her body back here."

"Oh God, Sherlock… I'm not sure I want to see her body…" John cringed at the thought of his friend dead.

"I have to know."

John took a short, shivering breath, bracing himself for what he could end up seeing at the phone's location. He had seen dozens upon dozens of dead people in his lifetime, but few of them had been his close friends. The last time he saw a dead friend, his life got dark. He knew for a fact he didn't want to go back to that time. He also was worried for Sherlock's sake… John knew very well that the two had an… interesting... relationship, making John fear that his friend wouldn't know how to deal with the discovery of Lilly's body, or in the future, the fact that Lilly wasn't there.

"Oi, oi!" A rough voice sounded, jumping out in front of the two men. "Hey, wait a minute, aren't you the detective and the doctor?"

Sherlock paid little attention and continued to walk. "I don't have time. Take your stupidity somewhere else."

The man scoffed, pushing Sherlock back. "You can't come in here, detective. This is a private cemetery."

"Lilly." Sherlock said quickly. "She lives at the HUB. Blonde, green eyes. She's dead."

"W-what do you…" The guard looked behind him, a few other men slowly walking up. "Lilly can't be dead… What about the girl? Rain?"

Sherlock walked past him, not caring to answer. John however, stayed an extra second, sighing. "She… she's dead too. I'm so sorry." John ran to catch up to Sherlock, leaving the members of the HUB in complete disarray.

Finally, the two came to the location of the phone. They looked around, but couldn't find Lilly's body. John saw a flash out of the corner of his eye and walked over to it. "Hey, Sherlock… over here."

Sherlock ran over and crouched down next to John. Under a few stray leaves was a shiny metal object. He put on his gloves and removed the leaves, then picked up the object. It was a necklace sitting on top of a phone. "These are Lilly's." He paid little attention to the phone and stared at the necklace. He clutched the necklace tight, his chest hurting in a way he didn't understand.

The doctor looked to Sherlock, immediately noticing the confusion and hurt on his face. "It's heartache, Sherlock. It happens when something you love goes away and you can't do anything about it."

He blinked at John, his words faltering.

John picked up the phone and turned it on. "She took off the password. It seems like she wanted us to find this here."

"Indeed." He cleared his throat and stood up. "Back to the flat then."

The shorter man blinked in shock, standing up. "What? Is that all you have to say?"

Sherlock tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

He gave the man an exasperated look. "You loved her, Sherlock! Not to mention your bloody daughter! And Rain as well! Do you… do you not even care that your own child was thrown off a roof? They're dead and all you're going to do is..." The sentence ran off, leaving the two men staring at each other.

"You think I don't care that three important people in my life just died?"

"Well it doesn't seem like you do, that's for sure."

Sherlock exhaled, looking back to the spot where they found the phone and necklace. "She didn't give up on me, John. Everyone else did, but she didn't. I believe in Lilly. I know she's still out there, and so is Alvarie and Rain."

John sighed. "You know, she said the same thing to me when you faked it." He laughed painfully. "It's happening all over again."

He put the necklace in his pocket, then put his hand on John's shoulder. "Lilly has a plan. I trust her. Think about it, would she really throw my daughter of all people off a roof?"

"She was broken, Sherlock..."

"Even so, she wouldn't hurt Alvarie. Despite her hate for Irene, Alvarie's still my child and Lilly will always protect her." Sherlock said quietly.

John looked worriedly unconvinced. "How do you know?"

Sherlock stopped for a second. "I... don't. But I have to believe that the possibility of her being dead and really killing my daughter is improbable. She protects Rain with her life, so I do too. I protect Alvarie with my life, so she does too. Just because Rain is dead doesn't mean that she doesn't care for Alvarie, because she always will. It… doesn't always make sense, but it's how we work." He paused, looking uncomfortable. "Until Moriarty makes his next move, we have to assume they're alive."

"And how long are you willing to believe that?"

Sherlock frowned at this. "I don't know."

"I trust you, Sherlock. We'll wait."

* * *

Alvarie opened her eyes and let a flood of bright light in. At first, her vision only consisted of golden circles that twisted and untwisted in front of her. Then, very slowly, the circles began to separate revealing a peeling ceiling. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, becoming aware of her surroundings as she did so. The room was a dull gray, looking more like wet cement than paint. The walls weren't entirely covered either; there were many parts where they had cracked, revealing worn-down wooden planks. Alvarie took her eyes off the walls then, her eyes resting on several moth eaten mattresses closely resembling the one she lay on herself. There weren't many people around other than her which, only added to her growing anxiety.

A familiar figure was crouched a few beds away, having a conversation with a woman wearing a hospital gown. "Don't worry, he's fine." The voice belonged to Lilly.

"Really? He's alright?" The woman looked up, her long brown hair moving back to reveal a scar that spread down her face. Alvarie watched them curiously, wondering who the woman was and what her relationship to Lilly might be. However, she quickly abandoned the subject letting anger burn her insides.

Lilly took the woman's hand. "You need to sleep now. He's alright…"

"Can you promise me?" She grabbed Lilly's hand tighter, an insane look on her face.

"I…" Lilly let go, looking down.

"HEY!" Alvarie yelled from across the room, not able to hold it in any longer.

Lilly turned her glance to Alvarie, a dull look on her face. "HI!" She smirked, winking before looking back to the person in front of her. "Try to sleep, alright?" She stood up and walked over to Alvarie, pretending she didn't know what was going on. "Didja need something?"

"I guess you could say that." Alvarie replied, her eyes slowly gaining a fiery intensity.

The older girl rolled her eyes slightly, a smile on her face. "What can I do for you?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe you could cut the crap and tell me what the hell is going on?"

Lilly pretended to look offended. "W-hell." She crossed her arms and turned her head away. "A thank you would be in order if you ask me."

"Thank you for what? For throwing me off a building with absolutely no explanation?"

Lilly's cheeks turned a slight red. "Right. About that." She relaxed her posture and sat down. "I should have explained more, but I couldn't without your dad figuring out what I was up to." Alvarie was silent for a few moments, trying to decide what course of action she should take next. Lilly noticed the silence and rolled her shoulders. "I liked it better when you were sassy. Silence isn't a good color on you…?" Looking at Alvarie, she could tell immediately she wasn't in a joking mood. "R-right. So… you're in the HUB… and… not… dead…?"

"I'm Sherlock's daughter do you really think I'm that thick?" Alvarie responded her tone rising quickly.

Lilly smiled. "Your shoulder should be fine for the most part, in case you were wondering… Once we get out of hiding we can have John look at it." Alvarie began to laugh then, looking Lilly straight in the eye.

"You really think there's a 'we' to this don't you?" She said, laughter hanging on every word.

"Unless you have some brilliant plan, yeah, I do." Lilly blinked, a hint of harshness in her voice.

"I think I can handle myself, thanks."

"Oh yes, with your infected arm and your clever attitude you're really gonna save the day, aren't you?" Lilly shook her head, realizing she took it a step too far. "Look, we're playing the game. I took my move and now we wait 'till all the other players take their turn."

"'Your' move?" Alvarie questioned, raising her eyebrows.

Tolerance level dwindling, Lilly sighed. "Yes, my move. Congratulations, you can hear."

"Well, it's a good thing I still have my five senses cause you've already made a huge mistake. Where the hell is my brother?"

Lilly blinks, a blank look on her face. "Uhhhhh… That's a… good question…" She smiled, looking slightly desperate. "Very logical, I can tell you're Holmes' kid. You really have a future in crime-solving, you know that?" Alvarie snorted, a dangerous smile spreading across her face. Lilly blinked. "Heh. Uh, right, well… About… that…" She laughed nervously. "Last time I saw him, he was at Baker Street. So… I'm guessing he's… still… there?"

"You what?"

"Uhhhhh… He's uh… he's fine…"

"He's fine?! Don't you realize you did exactly what Moriarty wanted? I'll bet you anything he'll be gone when Sherlock gets back…" She trailed off, concern taking over her face.

Lilly stood up. "I'll… be right back. Stay." Alvarie stood up with her, determination on her face.

"Stop treating me like John. I'm not a dog."

"I never-" Lilly stopped, mid-sentence. Taking a deep breath, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Come with me, stay here, whatever. Just don't get more injured than you already are. Medical supplies don't grow on trees." She blinked letting out her breath. "I'm never having kids. Come on, I'm gonna go find someone who would know if Alger's with his dad."

"Don't you dare call him that." Alvarie said, following Lilly across the room.

Lilly giggled. "What?' It's what he is whether you accept it or not." Disregarding her injured shoulder, Alvarie raised a hand in an attempt to slap Lilly across the face.

"Nope." Lilly held her arm out, blocking it without stopping. "Don't waste your energy on that. Waste it on being worried about something that shouldn't be worried about. Like your brother."

"I've seen you pouting about your 'dark past' when you thought no one was looking. But guess what? You're not the only one. If your dad killed people right in front of you, you wouldn't want to belong to him either."

Lilly spun around, her eyes burning. "Listen, kid. I have seen my parents kill people in front of me. Hell, I've even helped them. I don't pout about it, honey, I think about it, but never pout about it. If I didn't do what I did, I wouldn't be here. Get it? Maybe it's a lesson you've yet to learn, but that day will come. Wait and see. So don't. Just, don't." She turned and kept walking, rolling her shoulders. "So are you gonna whine about being here, or are you gonna come with me?"

"You know," Alvarie started, "I used to not want to be like him. Now, I think I like that idea better than the alternative."

"Good for you. Deciding your own path and all… you do that. Great." Lilly walked up the stairs, attempting to get away before she really lost it.

"I think I will stay here after all." Alvarie called after Lilly, a suspicious tone in her voice.

Lilly exhaled with relief. "You do that, honey." She huffed and left the basement.

* * *

Alvarie was generally not a rash person. However, under her particular circumstances, she had undoubtedly acted very rashly. Her first act of foolishness was that of her argument with Lilly. Looking back upon it now, there were several things she had said that she barely recognized as coming out of her own mouth. Secondly, she now found herself walking away from the HUB and towards her uncle's house despite the risk of Moriarty discovering that they were alive. What was more, she was also completely aware of the fact that once she returned to Mycroft's she would likely not be allowed to leave again.

Thus, Alvarie trudged through the streets of London, a hood pulled up over her head and her infuriating stupidity racing through her mind. Oddly, these thoughts did not give her any cause to return to the HUB but, propelled her towards her goal in the most stubborn of ways.

It was perhaps half an hour later when Alvarie found herself staring up at a stark white building adorned with a golden plaque that read "Diogenes Club". She climbed the stairs grudgingly, stopping at the top in order to press a golden buzzer to the left of the door.

"Please state your name and business." A bored voice droned out of a tiny speaker that lay next to the buzzer she had just pressed.

"Alvarie Holmes, resident." She whispered to the intercom, not wishing for passerby to hear her.

"Enter." The voice replied as the door seemed to swing open of its own accord. Alvarie crossed the threshold quickly hearing the door swing shut behind her. Looking around, her eyes quickly swiped over her already familiar surroundings. The expansive room was split into clear sections, the first of which being a large reception desk situated a few feet from her. Behind the desk however, there were dozens of leather back armchairs that hosted men who were either staring off into space or reading large newspapers. Slightly to Alvarie's right there were a few doors and a central staircase all leading off to different rooms.

Taking a deep breath, Alvarie walked up to the desk eyeing the "no talking" sign plastered upon its front as she did so. Pulling a scrap of paper and a pen from her jacket, Alvarie scribbled a quick note that explained her circumstances without giving too much away. Then, she folded it and slid it across the table to a white haired man with glasses perched opposite from her. He looked up as the paper reached him, eyeing her with some alarm before picking it up. Several seconds later he nodded once, got up from his chair, and disappeared up the steep staircase, beckoning for her to follow.

They walked through several hallways that all sported a thick red carpet before stopping at a rather elegant brown door. The older man knocked twice before nodding again to Alvarie and disappearing back from where they had come. A few moments later the door squeaked open and a tired looking Mycroft stood in its wake. Not wanting to make immediate eye contact, Alvarie peered past him into the room beyond. As soon as she did so she noticed a brown haired boy slumped in a chair in the far corner of the room. Ignoring her uncle, Alvarie pushed past him and ran inside, practically throwing herself on Alger. He hugged her back tightly and they exchanged a few glances before Alvarie straightened up, preparing to face Mycroft.

Her uncle had shut the door and was now staring at the pair of them, a stern look masking the weariness he felt.

"As your guardian it is my responsibility to know your express whereabouts. However, since you decided to vacate your education and subsequently erase yourselves from this earth, I have not been able to fill this position." Mycroft began, pacing the length of the room as he spoke. "I have used the unlimited resources of the British government to find the pair of you and after several failed attempts to bring you home safely you decided to suddenly resurface a few days ago. I had meant to extract you from my brother's home but decided, after much careful thought, to see how things played out between you three. So, you'll imagine I was less than pleased when this morning, a correspondent informed me that you, Alvarie, were a part of three unexplained suicides committed from the roof of St. Bartholomew's Hospital." He paused, eyeing them for a reaction before continuing. "Of course, I was sure of Moriarty's involvement from several of my informants within hours of hearing the initial news and was able to glean from the reports that none of you were actually dead. With this information in hand, I would like to inform you both that I am extremely disappointed in your reckless behavior and find it unlikely that you will be leaving the premises unaccompanied again anytime soon." He finished, looking a great deal worse for wear than before he had started. Not waiting for responses from either of them, he quickly informed them that his assistant would be by to take them to their rooms before sweeping hastily out the door.

"Are you okay?" Alger asked Alvarie as soon as their uncle had shut the door.

"I'm fine." She said through gritted teeth. "I mean, I have an infected bullet wound in my shoulder but it didn't seem like the right time to bring it up." Alger's eyes widened as concern swept across his face.

"You got shot?" He whispered in disbelief.

"It's not important. When did you get here anyway?"

"He came to Baker Street as soon as he heard the news. He didn't even wait to tell your dad Lilly faked everything. He just took me and left…" Alger trailed off, clearly still confused by everything that had happened. Before Alvarie could say anything else there was a knock on the door, causing both of them to jump.

Unfortunately, the arrival of Mycroft's assistant meant that Alvarie and Alger had to be separated, putting a stop to their conversation. She was a smartly dressed woman with brown- blond hair that held herself with an unmistakable air of pride. Leading them down several more hallways she stopped in front of another door which, in comparison to the last one, was rather unimpressive. Gesturing that Alvarie was expected to enter, she unlocked the door and gently pushed her inside. This only allowed for Alvarie to merely wave at her brother before the door was shut on her.

She looked around, feeling frustration well up inside her. Resolving to throw herself onto the ornate looking bed in front of her, she buried her head in a pillow. Alvarie wasn't entirely sure what she had expected to happen upon returning to Mycroft's but, she was thoroughly disappointed. She felt helpless and would have given anything to know what was happening inside Mycroft's office or inside Baker Street for that matter. Burying her face deeper and letting out a puff of air, she reluctantly let her exhaustion take over.


	10. Chapter 10

Closing the door to the basement behind her, Lilly leaned back and let out an irritated sigh. Part of her regretted being that harsh, but the rest of her didn't care in the least. Rolling her eyes at herself, she began to walk to the main room. Weaving her way around drunks and poker games, Lilly searched for the man who would have answers about the whereabouts of Alger. Spotting him, she called out his name. "Oi, Will!"

Will recognized the voice without looking and set his signature red plastic cup onto the window sill beside him. He turned, Lilly only a few feet away. "Hello."

She nodded and stood across from him. "Sleeping beauty is wondering where her brother is. Do you know?"

He laughed at the name. "Yeah, Mycroft picked him up."

Lilly crossed her arms. "I told her he was fine."

"Oh, did you talk to Bella while you were down there?" Will tilted his head slightly.

"Yeah, I did. She's still a bit…" Lilly trailed off, looking for the right word.

"Mental?"

She nodded. "For a lack of a better word, yeah she's still mental. She's still thinking her son's alive. The poor thing."

Will looked down. "Yikes."

Lilly cleared her throat. "Well, I'm gonna go tell Alvarie. That girl is so much like…" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alvarie casually walking into the forest. Her face dropped into a dull look. "Typical."

"Where does she think she's going?"

She sighed, giving a massive eye roll. "To Mycroft."

Will laughed. "What'd you do to her?"

Lilly smirked, letting out a small laugh. "We're both too sassy and stubborn to get along."

"You sure that's not your kid, Lil?"

She gave him a sideways glare and punched his arm playfully. "Screw off."

"Alright, alright, but in all seriousness, what are we gonna do about it? I could have someone chase after her…"

Lilly shook her head. "Nah… Mycroft has probably already figured out we're alive anyway."

Will picked back up his cup, laughing hard. "You're going to get a very angry phone call from him later on."

"Why's that?" She turned her head to him, a curious look on her face.

He stood up straight and crossed his legs slightly. In his best Mycroft impersonation, he said, "Lilly, Alvarie came home to me crying because you were a total asshole to her. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Lilly laughed, turning away. "Hysterical. I'm gonna go find Rain. See ya."

* * *

Sherlock lay in his bed, holding Lilly's phone over his head. He had scrolled through every single conversation on the phone, but there was nothing at all about how the three girls could have escaped. With an irritated sigh, he put the phone down and stared blankly at the ceiling. A buzz vibrated the bed softly. The man sat up and looked at his phone. There was a text from Lilly.

 _"I'm leaving you a goodbye note. It'll send in five hours unless I cancel it."_ Lilly's voice echoed in his head. Sherlock opened the text, reading it quickly.

 _"Alright, so if you're reading this… I'm dead. Yikes, that went 0 to 100 real fast… Uh, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I can only guess that I killed myself, and we both know very well I would only do that if I felt there was nothing left for me here. So Rain must be dead too. If I did anything between the time Rain was killed and I was killed… just know I wasn't aware of it. I hope I didn't hurt anything too valuable… But seriously, forget about me Holmes. When you were dead, it tore me apart from the inside out. I couldn't fathom the fact that you were dead, and it drove me absolutely mad. Please, just let go of me. Just block me out of that mind palace of yours. Trust me; it'll be better that way. If you have my phone, then you also have my necklace. You take care of that necklace, you hear me? Don't make me haunt your ass. As a small apology for being dead, I'll tell you how I got that thing."_

The text ended and another began. _"It was my mother's. It's… kinda a funny story, actually… So my mom was dating this dude for a while, but then she found out he was cheating on her, so she broke into his house and stole the necklace he was gonna give to the other girlfriend. She said it was her way of laughing in his face. I guess that's where I get my cocky personality, huh? She gave it to me in the car right before she was killed. She knew that the killer would want to take the necklace of proof he had done his job, so it was once again, her way of laughing in their face. Lol I'm imagining growing up with her as my mother… man, I'd be SO cocky! But back to the original topic… yeah, I'm dead. But, don't think of it as a bad thing. Think of it as a chance to do more! You should really hang out with Alvarie more! She reminds me of me… I like it and hate it on so many levels. Also, you should play violin more! You're super good! So yeah! Play violin and go hang out with your daughter, Holmes! And hey… I'll see ya on the flip side. –L"_

Sherlock sighed, a part of him disappearing. He thought briefly then smiled, getting up out of his bed. "Violin it is, then." He walked out of his room and picked up the violin, tuned it, and began to play.

* * *

"Alright, everyone! The broadcast is starting in approximately 2 minutes! We need everything setup right now!" Lilly walked into a fairly large room with people on computers scattered about. Wires spread like roots all on the floor and walls, all of them leading to a single white box with a USB drive plugged into it. Next to the box was Lilly's personal computer. She walked up to it and spun the chair around. Taking a seat, she flipped open her computer and typed quickly. The screen went black with the words, "command_element= " typed in white. With a smirk, she pulled out her own USB and plugged it in. The black screen ran line after line of code until it finally stopped with the words, "ready to start!" on the very bottom.

"Whatcha got, Lil?" Rain skipped up to her, tilting her head at the screen.

Lilly glanced at the girl. "I just put in my program. We should be able to get in as soon as I enter that USB." She flicked her head sideways to the white box.

Rain poked the box. "What does the USB do?"

"It sends all the codes everyone has written into the system so that we don't have to do it manually. It's faster."

Rain nodded slowly. "And this will let us see the video chat Moriarty and Sherlock have?"

Lilly nodded. "Yup!"

Will walked up to Lilly and Rain, red cup in hand. "We just got news that Moriarty has the bodies ready. Is the code done?"

"I think…" She turned to the group on their computers. "You guys ready to roll?" The room cheered. Lilly looked back to Will, "I think that's a yes."

The man nodded. "Alright." His phone dinged. "Crap, they're live. Go!"

Lilly unplugged the USB from the white box and plugged it into her computer, watching line after line of code run on the screen. "Come on, baby…" She whispered, stroking her computer. After a few seconds of scared anticipation, the screen froze briefly then showed Moriarty, Sherlock and John. Moriarty was on half the screen and the partners were on the other.

"Hello, Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson! So nice you could make it to this brilliant event." Moriarty smiled maliciously.

Sherlock seemed to snarl. "What do you want, Moriarty?"

He laughed. "I want you to see them burn." The man laughed a little. "See what I did there? If you recall, that's what I said to you when we met at the pool…"

John spoke up. "Yes, we all remember. We were there."

Moriarty rolled his eyes. "Ugh, John you're soooo predictable. Always wanting to jump right into the thick of it…" He sighed. "Fine. You… win." His words were sharp as ice. He took a breath, mood changing immediately. "I've gathered you here today for the final thing I will leave you until we meet again. I'm sure you'd love the see the bodies of your little friends that fell off that roof… such a shame, really. Well, here they are!" He ended in a sing-song voice, stepping off to the side to reveal 3 body bags.

Rain leaned over to Lilly. "Is that an incinerator?" She whispered. Lilly nodded in response.

Sherlock blinked in shock, while John wore a look of complete horror.

"What? Why the sad faces?" Moriarty hopped up to the camera and pouted. "Maybe seeing their faces will make you smile!" He spun over to the incinerator and unzipped the middle bag, revealing the fake Alvarie. Moriarty blinked in shock, confusion spreading across his face. The confusion slowly escalated into a boiling anger. He turned to people that couldn't be seen and yelled, "IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE?"

Rain's eyes widened. "Hayden and Kasey are in there…!"

Lilly's mind raced, thinking of a way she could save them. "Crap, uh…"

"WERE YOU TWO IN ON THIS?" There was a chilling silence. "WELL?" Moriarty's voice echoed in the room, making everyone who was listening flinch.

A faint voice could be heard on Moriarty's end. "No, sir, we had no idea-"

"Liar." Moriarty pulled out a gun and shot twice. There was an eerie silence, followed by Moriarty straightening his suit out and rolling his shoulders. He walked back over to the camera, exceptionally close. "Don't think you've fooled me, Lilly. I know you're watching. I know what you love and I know how to rip it to shreds. So go ahead and bathe in your victory. We'll see who has the last laugh." With that, the screen went black.

Lilly sat down, eyes staring off into space in thought. If it wasn't personal before, it sure as hell was now.

Rain grabbed Lilly's arm. "Come on, we gotta call Mycroft and Sherlock!" She pulled her up and ran out of the room and down the hall, Lilly only partially aware of what was going on. They stopped, Rain looking at the older girl expectantly. "Go on! Call Mycroft!"

Blinking a few times, she nodded and picked up the phone, dialing the number almost hesitantly. It rang twice before it was answered. "How do you have this number?"

"I…" Lilly couldn't think of words. She was too focused on the fact she made things worse.

Rain let out a groan of irritation and grabbed the phone from her. "Mycroft, its Rain. We're calling from a payphone outside of the forest." The girl was a brilliant liar. She didn't let the man think about if her words were true, she simply took a beat then continued talking. "Moriarty had some sort of live video with Sherlock. He figured out we're not actually dead. What do we do?"

Mycroft paused. "You should be fine for now. It takes Moriarty a while to get things done. But do yourselves a favor and stay on the down-low. If he gets the opportunity, he'll take it. Do you have some sort of friend you could stay with outside of the HUB?"

"Yeah. Her name's Jenna Rose. I could stay with her." Rain looked at Lilly, who still seemed lost. "And what do we do about the space cadet standing next to me?" She elbowed Lilly.

"Sherlock would obviously be who she's most comfortable with. Does she have any other friends?" The man asked.

Rain thought for a moment. "Well there's Will… Will likes her. I think they're cute. But not as cute as Sherlock and Lilly."

Mycroft's voice was dull. "Why was that necessary to add?"

The girl giggled. "I don't know!" She sighed. "But in all seriousness. Do I go over to my friend's now?"

"That would be wise, yes. Take only what you need, and make yourself not look like you. He has spies everywhere."

Rain nodded. "Alright. We'll go at separate times. It would be more likely for Lilly to come with me, so we can confuse them by only having one of us in a cab."

"Alright. Be safe."

"Ew don't act like my dad." Rain could feel Mycroft's eye roll.

"I'm hanging up now." The phone clicked followed by a long beep.

Rain punched Lilly hard in the arm. "Oi!"

Lilly flinched, looking at her arm then at the girl. "What was that for?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on. I'm going to Jen's place and you're going to Sherlock's. We need to pack some stuff."

"I've already got stuff over there."

Rain frowned. "Lilly, I'm not gonna let you wear the same outfit twenty times over. Come on." She took Lilly's arm and pulled her along.

"Well geez, mom…"

"I'm far from your mum, Lil."

Lilly laughed. "Aw your accent is so cute!"

The girl stopped dead and whipped around, giving Lilly an unentertained look. "Stop feeling salty about making the situation worse. For now, we're fine. You can beat yourself up when things get bad again. Now come on." Lilly followed, a look of mock offense on her face. The two stopped at Lilly's room.

Lilly opened the door and walked in, grabbing a backpack. "Aren't you gonna get your clothes?" She looked over at Rain.

Rain pulled open the bottom drawer of the dresser, revealing her own clothing. "Already got it." She picked a bag from the closet and began placing the neatly folded clothes inside.

There was a knock at the already open door. Will stood in the doorway, peering in. "Hey… What are ya doing?"

"We're leaving for a while." Lilly smiled at Will, inviting him in. She walked over to the closet, picking out a few shirts and jeans.

"Oh… how long will you be gone for?"

She turned to Rain, who only shrugged. "I guess until the water clears… I don't know…" Lilly walked back over to the backpack, tossing in the clothes.

Will looked at his beer. "Who are you gonna stay with?"

"I'm staying with Sherlock and Rain's staying with Jenna."

"Ah." He paused, still looking at the beer. "Can I… say something that you probably won't agree with?"

Lilly turned to him with a curious look on her face. "What's up?"

"I just… I don't think that staying with the detective is the best move. I mean… how much can we really trust him, ya know?"

Lilly smiled slightly, walking up to him. "Look, Will. Sherlock is my best friend. I trust him more than anything in the world. He's not gonna let anything happen to me."

Will sighed. "Fine. But I want a text from you every day. And if he makes you upset in any way…"

Lilly laughed. "Calm down! I'll be fine."

He frowned. "Uh huh. Well, that's it from me then… See ya on the flip side." The man started to walk out of the room.

"Bye!" The two girls called after him.

Rain shut the door and turned to Lilly, a happy smile on her face. "He likes youuu!"

"I don't understand why." She mumbled and went back to shoving clothes in the backpack. "I'm not a likable person. Will could do so much better than me."

The girl cocked an eyebrow at her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She shrugged. Deciding she had enough stuff in her bag, she zipped it shut and flung it over her shoulder. "Want me to put your hair up?"

"Sure." Rain sat down on the bed and let Lilly work her magic. "How much flannel did you pack?"

"Uh… a lot…"

She sighed. "Of course."

A few seconds later, Lilly stood up. "Boom!" She had put the girl's hair in loose pigtails. "Aw, so cute!"

Rain looked at herself in the mirror and gave a disgusted look. "I look like I'm five."

"It's cute!" Lilly grabbed some hair product and put it on her hands before running it through her hair, making it almost perfectly straight. She then grabbed a hairbrush and brushed her hair out to spread the product before unzipping her back and putting it in. Looking at herself in the mirror for a second, she grabbed a hat and put it on backwards. "Done. Let's go!"

The girl crossed her arms. "Fine. But we're gonna have to stop at the phone first… I need to ask if I can stay at Jenna's."

"You didn't do that yet?!"

"Heh…" She smiled awkwardly and grabbed her bag, running out of the room.

Lilly grabbed her keys and ran out, locking the door behind her. "Hey, wait up!"

* * *

The cab came to a stop in front of 221B Baker Street. Thanking the cabbie, Lilly paid him and exited. She walked up to the door and knocked, gazing with interest at the unfinished graffiti on the door. She had never really inspected it until now.

Ms. Hudson opened the door, obviously shocked when she saw it was Lilly. "SHERLOCK!" The lady smiled brightly and hugged the girl. "We all thought for sure you were dead! Oh, you and Sherlock… all this fake death is going to drive me to the home, I'll tell you."

Sherlock ran down the stairs, not noticing Lilly at first. "What is it?"

John stood at the top of the first flight of stairs, eyes wide. "She came to us first…"

It was then that Sherlock looked to Lilly, relief spreading over his face. He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, giving her a small smile. "Don't die again."

"I'll try." She winked. After a second, Lilly hugged him. "Can I stay here?"

He nodded. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

Lilly laughed a little, letting go. She looked to John. "Blogger!" She ran up the stairs and hugged him.

John stumbled back a step, laughing. "Good to see you too, Lil."

She backed up, shock in her eyes. "You called me Lil."

"Did I?"

Her face brightened. "You've never call me Lil!"

He chuckled a little. "I guess it just caught on…"

Smiling happily, Lilly turned to Sherlock. "Hey, just so you know, your daughter's with Mycroft. And so is Alger."

Sherlock nodded and walked up the stairs. The three entered the flat, Sherlock taking a seat at his chair. "Oh, here's your necklace back. And your phone." He reached into his pocket and pulled the two items out.

Lilly took them, putting the phone in her pocket and the necklace around her neck. "Thanks for holding onto them." She leaned against the wall next to the fireplace. "So… wanna know how I did it?"


	11. Chapter 11

Alvarie awoke in a cold sweat, her shoulder throbbing with a new fiery pain. Hours earlier, the spot where the bullet had hit her only exhibited a dull thud. Now, however, the pain had returned and was perhaps worse than when the bullet had initially entered her skin. Suddenly, a sharp rapping rang out through the room, causing her to jump. The sound was coming from the door and, judging from the cracking noise it made, she knew it must have been important. Groaning and turning onto her back, she made her way to standing with great difficulty. To her dismay, her vision was blurred again making the short walk to the door feel like a mile.

Once she had made her pitiful hobble over to the door she pried it open, peering out into the hallway. Highlighted by the overhead lights, was the form of Mycroft's assistant. From what she could see, which was not much, a look of high irritation plastered the woman's face.

"Your uncle would like to see you in his office immediately." She said, practically pushing Alvarie out into the hallway.

They walked for what felt like some time in Alvarie's current state however, in reality, it likely only took them a matter of moments to reach Mycroft's office door. The assistant knocked quickly, patience slipping from her face.

"Enter." Her uncle's voice called dully from within. Swinging the door open, the woman held it for Alvarie, clearly eager to get rid of her. Alvarie entered, the door shutting with a thud behind her. "Sit." Mycroft commanded from his blurred position behind a grand desk. Alvarie located the chair with minor difficulty, and clumsy sat down. "John is on his way and I have no doubt that you will make a full recovery. However, I would love to know when you had planned on informing me that you were hovering on the brink of death." He said, a hard edge to his voice.

"I-" Alvarie started, stopping briefly before continuing. "Who told you?" She finished, a puzzled look spreading across her face.

"Your concerned half-brother." He answered, a hint of amusement now playing on his words. There was silence for a few moments while Alvarie pondered whether she should speak. Deciding that her uncle was likely waiting for her to respond to his initial question, she quickly formulated her answer.

"I-uh hadn't thought about it since I left the HUB." She said finally, her hands shaking slightly by her sides. What she had said had been half true but, she knew she was unlikely to get away with it. Alvarie's injuries had disappeared during her fit of rage and it wasn't until a few hours earlier that the pain had hit her again. However, when it had returned, her first thought hadn't been to go to Mycroft. It had been to wait until someone found her dead so she wouldn't have to face the problems at hand any longer.

"I see." Mycroft responded, looking at Alvarie searchingly. He stood up after a while, his eyes still on Alvarie's but, with less intensity than before. She quickly gleaned that Mycroft did not have the patience nor the time to call out her lie, not now at least. This information let relief spread through her and it was all she could do not to sigh out loud. "Follow me, then. I expect John's waiting." He said, crossing the room to open the door. Alvarie followed, trying not to knock anything over on her way out.

* * *

"Please hold still." John said to Alvarie through gritted teeth as he examined her right shoulder. They were in a relatively small room that housed a great deal of medical equipment. The walls were entirely white, matching the floor, whose pristine tiles shone in the fluorescent light. Apart from John and Alvarie, Mycroft and Sherlock also occupied the space. They stood off to the side, talking in hushed tones. Every once in awhile they would glance over at Alvarie, a mix of concern and clear frustration written on their faces. She tried to block them out, letting the extensive numbing drugs in her shoulder relax her.

As John worked, Sherlock and Mycroft's conversation seemed to rise in volume. More and more anger crept its way into their words. Eventually, since they were no longer whispering, Alvarie was able to clearly make out every word.

"You never had custody over the child." Mycroft was saying angrily to Sherlock. "And I dare say you are fully aware who would win if we were to take this to court." Out of the corner of her eye, Alvarie saw Sherlock glaring back at Mycroft, defiant. She had expected him to make a sharp comeback but, to her surprise he just stood there, a look of utmost rage and confusion contorting his features.

"Alright, you should be fine. Just don't touch it and stick to the medicine I gave you." John said, stepping back to admire his work. Alvarie nodded, her eyes had cleared and she now had a sharp view of her surroundings.

"Thanks." She said feebly, but she was quickly drowned out by a chorus of shouts. Following this sudden outburst of Sherlock and Mycroft's intertwined yellings, Sherlock crossed the room and exited, letting the door slam shut behind him. An awful silence settled on the room, during which no one could bring themselves to make eye contact with each other.

"Right, then. I should probably go…" John trailed off, following Sherlock out the door. This left Alvarie alone with her uncle, a position she was unlikely to enjoy. He stood to her right, leaning on a gray countertop and burying his face in his hands. Not wanting to be the first to talk, she picked up her jacket from the back of the chair she sat in, taking her time to put it on.

The minutes ticked by in silence, neither willing to give it up easily. Finally, Alvarie decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to ask all the burning questions she had about their current situation.

"So," She began, watching Mycroft look up out of the corner of her eye."How dead are we?" Mycroft sighed before answering, straightening up and smoothing out the wrinkles in his suit.

"Fortunately, the public has only been told of your three mysterious suicides and how your bodies were never recovered. However, I imagine that when Moriarty inevitably locates the three of you, you will likely be much more dead than you are currently." He said, walking around the counter he stood behind to more directly face Alvarie.

"Okay, and how long will that be?"

"Moriarty had a plan before and now he doesn't. This, I believe, makes him more dangerous. Less predictable and more of a wild animal. Hunting his prey ruthlessly, without obstruction." He looked like he could have said more but, stopped suddenly. Perhaps he had noticed the light in Alvarie's eyes dimming as she tried not to look terrified.

"Why hasn't Alger been apart of his plan yet?" She asked, her eyes widening with fear. Mycroft looked back at her for some time, carefully choosing his next words.

"Unfortunately, I'm quite certain that you and Alger have always been apart of his plan to "burn" Sherlock. As far as why Alger isn't currently with Moriarty, I suspect that he has plans for him that we haven't detected as of yet. Moriarty wouldn't have had a child without some malevolent purpose planned for him and it is only a matter of time before what that is becomes clear. Which is why we must at least attempt to use what little leverage we have now to stay ahead for as long as possible." He drew out each word slowly and carefully attempting not to upset Alvarie. Nevertheless, the fear that had captured the girl's eyes previously still sat there, unmoving.

"I'm assuming we're on house arrest until whatever happens, uh happens?" She asked painfully. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck inside indefinitely.

"I'm afraid so. I can, however, allow you secure phone calls on the basis that you don't call those idiot friends of yours. If one of them were to spill the news that you aren't dead it would, I'm sure, have nasty consequences." Alvarie's heart sank as he talked. She had been counting on making things right with Raz and the others before this had all happened.

"Could I make one now?" Alvarie said, hoping that Lilly or Sherlock might be able to help her.

"I suppose. Although, if you plan to call Sherlock I wouldn't count on having a conversation." He answered, pulling a small, outdated, phone from his pocket. "Don't bother asking how I scramble the calls. I'm not exactly at the liberty to tell." He tossed the phone and Alvarie caught it. "I'll leave you to it then. You know your way around by now and I'm sure you wouldn't be thick enough to leave the premises. Rest assured that if you do, I have several heavily armed individuals that would be more than happy to escort you back to your rooms." With that he left, leaving Alvarie with the phone.

* * *

"Hello?" Alvarie spoke into the small, black flip phone she held to her ear. There was a rustling from the other end for a few moments before a reply.

"Yes." A voice said that clearly belonged to Sherlock. It suddenly struck Alvarie that she hadn't thought about what to say when she called her father. Initially, she wanted to reach Raz through him but, common sense hit her a few moments after Mycroft left and she had decided it would be a bad idea. Regardless, she had still called Sherlock to satisfy her burning desire to talk to someone other than her uncle about what was happening.

"Hi, uh it's me, Alvarie."

"I know. What do you want?" He demanded, sounding less than thrilled to be speaking to her. Alvarie was tempted to ask him about his argument with Mycroft but, hearing his tone, she didn't know if that would be the wisest of moves. Instead, she resolved to ask for Lilly, hoping she could shed some light on the situation.

"Um, is Lilly there?"

"Yes." He responded, completely oblivious that Alvarie meant to talk to her.

"Could I speak to her?" There was a long pause then as Sherlock had presumably gone to get Lilly. However, after about five minutes, Alvarie realized that he must have hung up after the last thing he had said. Puzzled and offended, Alvarie pocketed the phone in her jacket and stood up. Crossing towards the door, she opened it and stepped out into the hallway.

Wandering the halls for some time to collect her thoughts, she finally stood outside Alger's door. She knocked briskly, standing back to give him time to open the door. When the door did open, it was his hair she saw first, sticking up in all directions.

"Oh, it's you." He said, relieved. "I thought it might be that terrible woman again." He straightened himself, opening the door wider to let her in. She crossed the threshold, taking a seat at the edge of his bed. "Are you mad?" He asked, a worried look spreading across his face.

"God, no." She chuckled. "You probably saved my life." He relaxed, taking a seat next to her.

"What's up then?"

"Did you ask Mycroft anything when you told him about me?" She prompted hoping Alger might have been told something she hadn't.

"Yeah, I just got back a load of rubbish though. Stuff about us being apart of his plan…" He trailed off, deep in thought. "I'm sure he knows a lot more than he's telling us though. He always does." Alvarie nodded grimly, her eyes wandering about the room. Coming back to reality, she let them settle back on her brother.

"I called Sherlock." She said after a while.

"You did? What happened?" Alger asked eagerly.

"I said hello, asked if I could talk to Lilly, and in about a minute he hung up." Alger's face fell as the words left her mouth. He was hoping, just as she had been earlier, to be less in the dark about what was happening. "I saw him earlier too, when John was here. He was even less talkative mostly just arguing with Mycroft." Alvarie added quickly, almost forgetting to inform Alger of the rest of the day's events.

"Really? What about?"

"About me I guess." Alvarie said, registering it for the first time in her head. Alger was silent for awhile, watching as his sister's eyes bounced around the room for the second time during the course of their conversation.

"Are you okay? You seem a bit anxious." He said, trying to catch her eye. She laughed sharply, returning his gaze.

"Are you not?" He didn't respond, searching her face for the tells that he had come to know so well. They sat like this for some time, only exchanging bits and pieces of a conversation and all the while skirting the most important topic. The words her uncle had said to her rang through Alvarie's ears loudly as she looked at her brother. If Moriarty did have a purpose for him she didn't want to think about what that would be or, more importantly, how he would execute it.

* * *

Sherlock hung up quickly, letting out an irritated sigh. Lilly glanced at the man from the couch on which she laid, a curious look filling her emerald eyes. "Alvarie?" She asked, for the most part knowing the answer.

The detective nodded. "She wanted to talk to you."

Lilly's eyes widened with shock. She never thought that the girl whom she had guessed hated her would want to have an over-the-phone conversation. "What about?"

"Didn't ask."

The girl's look dropped into disappointment. "You hung up on her, didn't you?"

He shot a quick glare at her, walking over to his computer. "I wasn't in the mood."

"It doesn't matter!"

Sherlock shrugged, sitting down. "Oh well. It's done."

Lilly sighed, going back to her phone. "I'm no parent, but I think you should call her back." Feeling the harsh glare of Sherlock, she rolled her eyes and continued. "You might have upset her, that's all."

He stood up quickly, almost knocking the chair over. "Just shut UP Lilly!" She turned to him, clearly bewildered. Not letting the girl talk, he ranted on. "You don't understand the least bit about her, so stop acting like you do! You don't know the first thing about parenting. You let Rain jump off of buildings, for Christ's sake! Don't start that with me." With that, Sherlock stormed out of the living room and into his own room.

Not knowing what just happened, she sat up, still staring at where Sherlock was standing only seconds ago. She knew that he was pissed with Mycroft for not giving custody over Alvarie to him, which would explain his snappiness. Although, Lilly would have to side with Mycroft on this one; she knew very well that Sherlock wouldn't be a great parent.

Deciding to do something productive, she got up and walked over to Sherlock's room to find the man flopped down on his bed, the palms of his hands pressed to his forehead. "Holmes?"

"What?"

Lilly walked over to his bed, sitting on the edge next to him. "I'm gonna go out for a while. Need anything?"

Sherlock didn't move. "No."

"Alright. Text me if you change your mind." Her voice was soft and caring, despite Sherlock just yelling at her. She ruffled the man's hair then stood up. "See ya." She walked out of the room and left the flat, the door closing quietly behind her.

As she walked down the stairs, Mrs. Hudson walked up. "Is he alright? I heard yelling."

Lilly giggled slightly, and nodded. "Yeah, he's just stressed. I'm going to John's, if he asks."

"Okay, love. Be safe."

* * *

London was surprisingly quiet, the dark gray sky dangerously close to raining. Lilly didn't mind this. As a matter of fact, it was one of her favorite parts about London. Gloomy seemed to fit her. Snapping out of her thoughts, she remembered she had no idea where she was going. Stopping, she looked around. None of these streets were familiar to her. With a sigh, she rummaged through her pockets and found a wad of money. Against her own will, she flagged down a cab and let the driver do the navigation work.

Within a short amount of time, she came upon the block John's house was on. Paying the cabbie, she got out and walked past a few houses before stopping in front of her destination. Lilly stared at the house, not even knowing really why she was here. As if the world wanted to make her mood worse, there was a crack of lightning, quickly followed by thunder. Less than a second later, rain poured from the sky. Lilly dashed up to the door, knocking quickly. It wasn't long before John answered.

"Oh, Lilly…?" He glanced at the rain, then at Lilly, who looked more than disappointed. "Come on in." John backed up a step, letting the woman in.

"Thanks…" Lilly stepped inside. "Sorry about coming unexpectedly… I just…" An overwhelming flood of emotions rose inside her. "It hasn't been… a very good week."

"Come into the kitchen. Let's talk." John lead Lilly into the kitchen, then pulled out a chair, signaling her to sit. Once she did, he took a seat across from her. "Alright, what's going on?"

Lilly sighed, not looking up. "I don't even know… This has been such an overwhelming, stress-provoking week and I just want it to stop." Her eyes watered.

John's eyes were concerned. "But why didn't you talk to Sherlock about it? Not that I mind you being here, but…" He trailed off.

"Well… he and Mycroft had an argument over who had custody over Alvarie. Sherlock wants it, but Mycroft won't give it up. Sherlock's been…" She paused, trying to think of a word, "on edge about it. He yelled at me, which is why I left. He needed some time, I think."

"What? Why?"

Lilly shrugged. "He hung up on Alvarie when she asked for me, so I suggested that he should call back because he might have made her upset. He told me to shut up because I don't know the first thing about parenting and I don't know Alvarie."

John stood up, obviously angry. "I'm going to have a talk with that man right now."

She jumped up, eyes pleading. "No, no! Don't! H-he didn't know he was doing it."

"Oh, he knew very well what he was doing. Come on."

Lilly grabbed his arm. "Please…" John turned to her, slightly confused. "I forgive him, I always do."

John sighed, giving up. "Why do you continue to like him, Lilly?"

Lilly went back to looking down. "Because he's just like me… Despite all the flaws, all the problems… we accept each other. Fighting comes with the package."

"No, Lilly… it doesn't have to…" He gave a sympathetic look, hugging her. "Fighting is never part of the package."

"Whatever…" She squeezed her eyes shut, making sure she didn't cry. "Can we… talk about something happy?"

The man let go, laughing slightly. "Sure. Let's watch some crap tele and laugh about it."

Lilly smiled brightly. "I was hoping you'd say that!"

* * *

During a commercial break, John muted the TV. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, but Rosie going to have her birthday in a few days. We're throwing a party at Mycroft's. Everyone will be there. You should come! It'll be fun!"

"A… party?" She laughed slightly. "That's not really my thing…"

John smiled. "It won't be anything that crazy… Rosie insisted on a formal party, so Sherlock talked Mycroft into throwing it."

Lilly blinked twice, the most confused look on her face. "My god, how did he do that?"

The man cracked up. "I don't know!"

"I mean…!" Lilly laughed, shaking her head. "How formal is this? Like…. Should I be expecting the Queen?"

The two laughed, John almost in tears. "Why on Earth would the Queen come to a party?"

"Because it's going to be the most formal, most beautiful party ever and the Queen would be lucky to come." Rosie had seemed to pop into the doorway, her arms crossed defiantly, eyes shining.

Lilly turned quickly to the girl, smiling wide. "Well hello there, m'lady! And how might you be on this gloomy eve? I only pray that the weather hasn't darkened your bright demeanor!" She got up and bowed.

The girl giggled. "I'm good! You and Rain are coming, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world..." She glanced at John, winking.

Rosie smiled brightly. "Yay! I'd better go add you two to the guest list." She skipped away, her blonde hair flying precariously behind her.

Lilly pulled out her phone and texted Rain; "Looks like we're going to a party for princess Rosie. Do you have nice clothes? I don't."

Within a minute, her phone buzzes with Rain's response. "Yaaaayyy! Yes, I have nice stuff. It's just like you to not pack formal wear. Well, you know what that means?"

Lilly's heart sunk. "Oh no…"

"SHOPPINGGG!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"


	12. Chapter 12

Alvarie sat on the obsessively ornate bed in her room, staring at the ugliest thing she had ever laid eyes on. When she had returned after speaking to Alger she had discovered it laying there, draped across a stiff armchair by the window. "It" was a dress and the last thing on this earth that she would ever considering wearing. She did not know its purpose and thus, sat there looking at it distastefully. Suddenly, she felt a vibration coming from inside her jacket pocket. Quickly pulling out her phone, she checked the messages section.

"John is having his daughter's birthday party here. I expect you to attend. There is a dress laid out for you in your rooms -MH" She stared at the text numbly, her eyes beginning to widen. Looking back and forth from her phone to the dress her heart sank deeper. Getting up with one last look at the hideous thing, she exited the room to find Alger.

* * *

After walking a few doors down, she knocked, hoping he hadn't fallen asleep when she had left. Pressing her ear to the door she heard footsteps coming close to where she stood. Pulling away she straightened up just as the door opened. A sleepy looking Alger stood in its place, rubbing his eyes and looking highly irritated. Alvarie pushed past him and spun about his rooms twice before finding what she was looking for. Alger looked on confused as she practically tore the place apart in her search. At last she pulled open a wardrobe in the far right corner to reveal a neatly pressed gray suit, white shirt, and matching tie. A pair of dress shoes lay underneath the ensemble, stiff and uncomfortable looking.

"Ha!" Alvarie said grabbing the suit and thrusting it at Alger. "You got some too!"

"Wha-" Alger replied taking the clothes and inspecting them curiously.

"John is having this party thing for his kid here and we have to attend wearing crap like this." She gestured to the suit Alger held while she spoke, a look of wild anger in her eyes.

"Oh…" Alger said, processing. "He didn't give you a dress did he?" He added, realizing what she had been implying. She nodded in response, heaving a great sigh and sitting down on an armchair similar to the one she had in her room. A loud buzzing noise emanated from Alvarie's jacket again and the pair of them jumped.

"When I meant you had to attend I meant within the next hour. John and Rosie will be here by then. -MH" Alvarie could hear her Uncle's annoyed voice through this next text and it did nothing to lighten her mood. She tossed the phone to Alger and he caught it, reading through the texts himself.

"You got another one." He said absent mindedly while scrolling through the phone.

"What does it say?"

"It says.." He paused, scanning the message. "That you are to get my disastrous head of hair under control." He spoke the last words in his best Mycroft expression, scowling when he had finished. Alvarie laughed, sinking further into the chair.

"Well," She said, "I guess we better get to it, we couldn't dare be late." Alvarie put on a face of mock horror grabbing Alger's arm and practically dragging him to her room.

* * *

Once they were inside, she sat him down on a bench in front of a vanity, taking the suit from him and throwing it next to her dress. She then rummaged in the many drawers in front of her until she found a brush in the third one. Taking a deep breath she began to try and brush out the rat's nest before her.

"Ow!" Alger said, sounding almost offended.

"You never brush this thing, how'd you think it would feel?" He didn't respond but just sat there, grudgingly in his seat. Several minutes of agony passed for Alger before they finished. He looked up into the mirror in front of him, feeling his brushed hair cautiously.

"I look like him." He observed, seeing his frighteningly close resemblance to Moriarty. Alvarie was silent, her face tightening noticeably in the mirror.

"You're not." She said firmly after a while, picking up his suit and handing it back to him. He took it apprehensively, making his way slowly to the door. "I'll see you down there?" She said unsure as to whether Alger needed to talk or not.

* * *

"Yeah, see you there." He answered half-heartedly, letting the door shut behind him.

Lilly came out of the bathroom, her face more annoyed than ever. "Why a dress?" She walked over to a mirror and frowned. "I look like a prep."

"YOU'RE SO CUTE!" Rain dashed up to Lilly and smiled brightly.

Jenna giggled, taking a picture sneakily. "I didn't know you could wear anything other than flannel and leather jackets, Lil!"

"Oi, did you just take a picture?" Lilly turned to Jenna while attempting to get Rain to stop fussing about her. Jenna only laughed. She rolled her eyes and looked back at her reflection. Lilly wore a white dress with black flowers spread across it. She couldn't deny it was cute, but it was nowhere in her range of style. To match, Rain of course planned for her to wear some sort of slightly spiked combat boots, which seemed more in her style, but didn't make up for the fact that she was supposed to wear the dress. "Do I really have to wear this?"

Rain sighed slightly. "Yes." She sat down next to Jenna. Rain was wearing a white dress with a flowery lace overlay. Despite looking like a bridesmaid, it fit her quite well. Her hair was put partially back in a waterfall braid, adding to her formal look. "Alright, the cab will be here any minute now. You ready?"

Lilly sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

"Thanks so much, Jenna. See you later tonight!" Rain hugged her friend.

"Anytime!" Jenna laughed a little.

As the two girls started heading out, Lilly turned back and grabbed her leather jacket, putting it on.

Rain gave Lilly a small eye roll. "You're lucky it looks good."

She laughed, taking the girl's hand. "Whatever."

"I bet you're excited to see Sherlock, huh?" Rain elbowed the older girl, smirking evilly.

Lilly glanced at her, giving a slightly confused look. "What makes you say that?"

"He's gonna be dressed up nicely! When guys dress up nice it's sexy."

"YOU'RE THIRTEEN, STOP PLEASE!" Lilly took a sidestep away from the girl, a smile on her face. The two girls laughed and walked out of Jenna's house, getting into the awaiting cab.

* * *

Lilly waltzed into a completely silent room, where several old men stared at her. She turned to Rain, who wore the same confused look as her. "Sup with them?" She whispered.

"SHHH!"

The girls jumped at this, looking wildly confused. "What?" Lilly looked around.

A man pointed to a sign that read: "Silence!"

Lilly laughed, spinning around. "Make meee!"

Rain giggled and joined in, the two having a bit more fun than they should. One of the men pressed a button on the wall with his cane, an offended look on his face.

Seconds later, an irritated looking Mycroft walked in, and grabbed the two by the wrist, practically dragging them out of the silent room and through a nearby door. "The things I put up with…" He turned to them. "That way. Go."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright… Come along Rain." She skipped off down the hallway, Rain laughing not far behind. A large wooden door rested at the end of the hallway and the pair opened it and crossed the threshold into an expansive room.

It was a dining hall of sorts, carefully decorated with a large, long table in the center. The place settings were extravagant and four gigantic chandeliers dripped from the ceiling, almost touching the table. Around the corners of the room there were several large windows that looked out onto a courtyard full of lush greenery.

The room was not yet full although, it seemed to have potential to be, judging by the large table. Sherlock stood off to the side, staring at the newcomers with slight curiosity. Lilly walked behind Rain, as if that was supposed to hide her somehow, her gaze shooting from Sherlock to the floor several times. "Ok, let's go. I'm ready to go."

"We just got here, Lilly."

"I know!"

Rain rolled her eyes and waved at Sherlock with a smile. He looked away and went back to his phone. "Hm… What's up with him?"

Lilly scanned the room. There were two people with extremely formal clothes on in the corner, looking like they wanted nothing to do with the situation. After a second glance, Lilly realized it was none other than Alvarie and Alger. She blinked with complete confusion. "Rain, you seeing this?"

"Seeing what?" Rain looked around, paying more attention to the sparkling lights than anything else.

"Them!" She nodded her head to the two in the corner.

Rain raised an eyebrow, still not understanding. "Did you drink before you got here?"

"What? No!"

* * *

Alvarie turned her head sharply, seeing movement to her right.

"People are staring." She hissed to Alger, adjusting her black lace dress self-consciously.

"It's fine just…" He trailed off, glancing over to the door to the large room.

"What?" Alvarie said following his glance. Rain looked over and laughed slightly, then waved kindly. Lilly stood beside her, a dumbfounded look on her face."Oh, uh wow." Alvarie said awkwardly, a slight smile creeping up onto her face. "I'll just go over and talk to..." She paused "Well, I'll find an individual who isn't talking and uh, talk with them…" She wandered off cautiously, leaving Alger to stare across the room at Rain.

* * *

Lilly broke free of her trance and snickered a bit. "Alv's gonna kill Mycroft for making her wear that..." She shook her head, eyes falling onto her phone. "I've gotta take this. Have fun with Alger." She walked off before Rain could protest.

Rain rolled her eyes, then ran over to Alger. "Hey!"

"H-Hi."

"I… like your outfit!" She smiled. "Stylish." Rain looked back to Lilly, who talked angrily on the phone in an unoccupied corner. Rain waves a little, watching as a smile spreads across her face for a split second. Lilly hung up quickly and ran over to Sherlock, obviously to talk about the two children.

"Thanks." Alger said simply, a frown beginning to take over his face. He looked down at the suit he was wearing with a disgusted expression before straightening up, his jawline hardening.

Rain tilted her head slightly, a questioning look on her face. "You ok?" She blinked once. "Oh… you think you look like… him… don't you?"

Alger wasn't given any time to respond for at that moment the doors at the end of the room opened again. A blonde girl walked happily into the room wearing a flowing white dress. Of course, it was none other than Rosie.

After a moment, Rain looked back to Alger. "I-I'm sorry I shouldn't have-"

"I'm sorry, I uh have to go…" His voice drifted off awkwardly behind him as he half sprinted across the large room and out the door. Unfortunately, it was at that exact moment that a crowd of party goers had poured through the door causing Alger to fall flat on his face in their wake. After the room had filled, he scrambled up, dashing out the door as quickly as possible.

The girl cringed and attempted to go after him, but she knew it was already too late. Feeling slightly awkward, she glanced over at Lilly, who leaned against the wall next to Sherlock, neither of them making eye contact with the other.

"We got pretty bad timing, huh?"

Rain spun around quickly, relaxing when she saw it was John. "Oh…! It's you…"

"Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you!" He laughed slightly.

The girl shook her head. "No, no! You're fine!" She looked back over to Lilly. "The timing isn't great, no…" She giggled. "Who all's coming?"

John shifted his position, thinking slightly. "Well, aside from the people who are here… Lestrade, Molly, Anderson… I think that's all you would know…"

She nodded. "Cool." There was a short silence between them while Rain processed her thoughts. "Why aren't any of Rosie's friends here?" She asked, looking around for any signs of children younger than her.

"Oh, yeah. That…" John said, rolling his eyes in an amused fashion. "Rosie thought the party would be fanciest if the only attendants were 'older kids' and 'adults'."

"Then I suppose Lilly shouldn't be here…" Rain half-joked.

"Well, I did invite Anderson so… I think it's a mixed group."

The girl laughed, looking down. After a few moments, Rain looked back up, curiosity lighting up her eyes. "So… why Mycroft's?"

John sighed heavily, glancing over to where Sherlock stood. He was half talking to Lilly, half ignoring her altogether, all while looking obsessively at his phone. "Is everything I say going to be relayed to Lilly and then, by extension, Sherlock?" He said, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels.

Rain giggled, then suddenly realized his question wasn't rhetorical. "Oh!" Her cheeks went red for a second. "Ah, um, well... Despite common belief, I can keep stuff from Lilly." She looked up at him. "Why?"

He cocked his head to the side briefly, seemingly thinking of whether he should confide in Rain or not. "In short, this was the only place I had hope of getting Sherlock to talk to Alvarie."

She smiled softly. "You always have the best intentions, John." He scoffed, to which Rain rolled her eyes. "I mean it! I won't say anything. You've got my word." She smiled.

"Well, enjoy the party. And, if you have the chance, I'd greatly appreciate it if someone chucked Sherlock's phone in the punch bowl…" He grumbled, walking away to mingle with the other party goers.

* * *

Alvarie had watched horrified as Alger had made his embarrassing exit from the room. She had not quickly found anyone to talk to and had eventually found herself stuck in a rather dull conversation with Anderson. Only half listening to a story he was telling she had found herself looking towards Alger and Rain. From a distance, she had seen Alger's examination of his suit and his bolt from the room. She knew full well, however much she wanted to, that she could not follow him from the room. Her uncle had made it pretty clear that they were to attend the party and it would look highly suspicious if both of them were absent for even a short period of time. If she stayed she could at least cover for her distressed brother. "It was nice talking to you!" Alvarie said to Anderson as he was in mid speech, leaving him with a confused expression on his face.

Navigating her way through throngs of people, she found her way back to the corner of the room she and Alger had been standing in before most of the guests had arrived. Now, more than before, it served as an oasis where she could easily avoid any conversation. She survived the crowds for only around ten minutes before all the guests were called to diner and was horrified to find a small card with her name on it directly between Sherlock and Mycroft. It would prove to be the longest night of her life to date.

* * *

Lilly was only slightly relieved to see that she sat between Sherlock and Rain. She sat down and noticed Sherlock, a frown growing on his face. "What's wrong?" Lilly asked, looking next to him. "Oh…" She sighed quietly. Alvarie sat next to Sherlock with a face that looked painfully awkward. Lilly smiled slightly. "Hey Rain, when Alger comes back, I'll have to take tons of pictures."

"Why's that…?" Rain sat down, casting a questioning look to Lilly.

"Because it'll be your first date!" Lilly snickered.

"I hate you." Rain grumbled.

"Do you two ever stop talking?" Sherlock asked, looking down at his phone which was open to twitter. Lilly rolled her eyes, giving him a glare she knew he wouldn't see. Despite this, Sherlock felt the glare and let out an irritated grunt.

A silence settled between them before a slight coughing sound rang out from Sherlock's right, the group turned seeing a disgruntled Alvarie. "I'm not invisible you know." Alvarie said, with a sudden burst of angered confidence.

Sherlock glared at her for a second before stuffing his phone in his pocket, leaning back in his chair, and crossing his arms over his chest. "Where's your brother? Shouldn't you be taking care of him or something?"

"In case you hadn't noticed we've never exactly had parents so, I'm sure he'll manage for five minutes." She retorted, looking up at one of the ornate chandeliers and frowning.

"Well, then I sincerely apologize for not turning you out onto the street. You did that all by yourselves." Mycroft butted in to everyone's surprise. He sat next to Alvarie, his fingers almost turning white with the tight grip he held his umbrella with.

This caused Alvarie's silent anger to reach its boiling point. She stood up abruptly, her chair squeaking awkwardly in the silence that followed. Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at her and her face suddenly grew hot with a mix of rage and embarrassment. Suddenly, a pain shot up her right arm, all the way to her shoulder. She stifled a shout, feeling her uncle's fingers wrap around her wrist. He jerked down, throwing her back into her seat.

"We could go about this two ways," He hissed, "And I'm not too sure either of us would particularly enjoy the first option." The room erupted into noise again, most of the guests pointedly talking and glancing towards the two.

Lilly glanced at Sherlock. Seeing as the man wasn't about to do anything, she stood up slowly and stood between Alvarie and Mycroft. "Dude, take a chill pill."

"Coming from the recovering alcoholic, I'll take that with a grain of salt." Mycroft glared at her, straightening up and fixedly staring away from all of them.

The corner of Lilly's mouth twitched slightly. "Just because she isn't mine, doesn't mean I won't treat her as anything but it. Piss off." She whispered so that the others around her didn't hear. At that precise moment, amidst all their collective awkwardness, John stood up. A sharp clinking noise rang throughout the room as he prepared to make a toast.

"I-" He started before quickly snapping his head to look behind him. A suited figure had just slipped through the large doors and scampered over to the table, a loud slam following in his wake. Across from Alvarie, a chair squeaked and Alger slid into it, almost tripping as he did so.

John cleared his throat, noticing that the attention of the room had gotten away from him. "Right." He sighed inwardly. "As I was saying."

Lilly and Mycroft both still stared at each other, exchanging glances with meaning only the two of them would understand. Similarly, Alvarie looked across at Alger, mouthing a silent conversation in his direction. However, she stopped in the middle of her pantomime, receiving a jab in the toe from Mycroft's umbrella. John cleared his throat yet again, clearly noticing the proceedings taking place in front of him. The others however, took no note of this and just stared at him blankly, not understanding what he meant by the gesture.

Rain reached over and tugged slightly on Lilly's dress, not wanting things to get more out of hand than they already were. However, Lilly didn't move, still holding her intense glare. There was no way she would let him win in a battle of wits. She had too much dignity for that. So, John continued his speech, none of them paying much attention to what he said but, assuming it had something to do with Rosie and her birthday.

"I said back off, Mike." Lilly spat.

"Go ahead, make a move. Just know that my security will most likely rip your distasteful head off." Mycroft smirked slightly. "Lil." At that moment, a chorus of clapping ran through the guests, letting them know that John had finished his speech.

"Just let him go, Lil…" Rain sounded slightly desperate.

Lilly laughed slightly, a fire starting in her eyes. "You say that, but I doubt your suited boys could even get close to me."

"Oh, you misunderstand me. I never said it would be a physical fight. No, I could ruin your life with two phone calls."

"I could end yours in one." She took a step closer.

Sherlock grabbed Lilly's hand. "Your ignorance is certainly refreshing but, it would be better for everyone if you just sat down."

She snapped around. "My apologies for standing up for your daughter, Holmes. Maybe if you grew a pair and did it yourself, I wouldn't be in this situation."

"I'm not five anymore but, I guess all of you missed that so-"

Lilly's anger grew. "Considering how much you let this guy push you around, you might as well be."

Rain saw the hatred in Lilly's eyes burn and jumped up. "Come on, let's take a walk." Lilly glared at the girl.

"She doesn't get it!"

"But neither do you. Lemme explain something about how parents operate." Rain dragged the overly irritated Lilly into the opposite corner of the room, explaining something calmly whilst Lilly complained like the three-year-old she was. Luckily, this went unnoticed due to the arrival of a large amount of unnecessary food.

Alvarie watched them out of the corner of her eye, trying to block out the disconcerting silences of the people next to her.

Over in the corner, Lilly was frowning in confusion. "What? Why would parents discipline like that?"

"Because that's what happens." Rain sighed slightly. "How did your parents punish you?"

Lilly thought for a moment. "They'd send me to school for an extra day."

Rain ran her hands down her face. "Alright, you're literally the worst." She shook her head. "Parents have to be harsh otherwise children don't learn."

"But Alvarie isn't a kid."

Rain rolled her eyes, running out of ways to explain how life worked. "But that's just how it is." She looked back over at the table. "Now go apologize to John and Rosie, then to Alvaire."

Lilly frowned. "But I stood up for her! Why should I?"

"Because you got in the way. Go." She pushed Lilly over to the table to where John and Rosie sat. "Say it."

"Make me."

Rain kicked Lilly in the shin. "Now would be good."

The girl glared at Rain, then looked over at the father and daughter. "My apologies for putting a damper on the festivities and being a better parent than Sherlock could ever be."

"WRONG!" Rain kicked her again. "But good enough. Next!" Rain pushed Lilly off before John or Rosie had a chance to properly respond, but there was a small giggle from Rosie.

Alvarie saw the pair coming and quickly engaged in a painful conversation with her father as a last resort. "Thanks for caring, dad." She said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Sherlock looked up, thinking briefly. "Oh, that." He rolled his eyes slightly and looked back down, going back to whatever it was he was thinking previously.

"I remember this phone call I got from you once." She prompted, hoping she wouldn't have to explain herself any further.

"Mmmm…"

"It was the first time I'd ever spoken to you, I was twelve." She expanded, hoping it hit him where she needed it to.

He rubbed his forehead, too distracted by whatever was going through his head. "Was it?"

"You told me that I needed to stop pitying myself because I'd be dead in a few years anyway."

Sherlock chuckled. "Did I?"

"You probably didn't have room for me in your mind palace." She said, looking up at the ceiling for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

Sherlock looked over to Lilly and Rain who both seemed terribly awkward. Taking this as a signal, Lilly ushered Rain to their seats. "How is sitting here any different than standing there?" Lilly shrugged, a stupid look on her face, making Sherlock roll his eyes.

Alvarie cleared her throat pointedly, making her presence clear to him. "Seems like I'm just one person too many."

Rain nodded. "I've been there, girl." Alvarie shot her a glare, trying to send her the message that this wasn't a conversation she was supposed to be a part of. "S-sorry."

Sherlock glanced back and forth between the two of them, eyes landing on Lilly. "Why'd you come over here in the first place?"

Lilly glared at Rain. "Good question."

"Do it." Rain nodded.

Rolling her eyes, Lilly glanced at Alvarie. "Sorry for standing up for you as the British Government attacked you unrightfully." Rain kicked Lilly again from under the table.

"No problem…" Alvarie trailed off, still looking up absentmindedly. Letting her gaze drift down, her eyes settled on Alger who, she realized, was clearly trying to listen in. She winked at him and he jumped, not noticing her glance right away. He smiled feebly back at her, clearly trying to look sympathetic to her situation.

Not long after, a chorus of chairs squeaked around them and they realized that the dinner had passed. People all around them were making their way towards the doors, thanking John and Rosie on their way out. The three Holmes, Lilly, and Rain sat glued to their seats. Alger, however, had taken his chance of escape and left with the others.

Once the hall had been cleared, John and Rosie stood by the closed door, unsure of whether they should leave the disjointed group alone or not. Alvarie watched carefully as John bent down to talk to Rosie, clearly conveying his solution to the problem. Just seconds after, Rosie hugged John and skipped happily from the room. John walked up to the group, looking displeased. Stopping at the edge of the long table where they were situated, he spoke.

"I hope all of you are very pleased with yourselves." He said coolly, looking directly at Sherlock rather than the whole of them. Without another word, he turned on his heel, exiting through the wooden doors.

An icy chill settled upon the room in his absence, filling up each corner respectively. Lilly and Rain shot each other nervous glances, seeming to already know what might happen next. Mycroft stood, almost in response to their silent conversation. Following John, he exited, swinging his umbrella in one hand as he disappeared behind the doors.

Lilly and Rain only allowed a few more seconds to pass before they too were out the door. This left Sherlock and Alvarie alone, for the very first time.

Alvarie made to stand up first and Sherlock followed half a second later, creating an awkward tension almost immediately. They stared at each other for a while, almost daring the other to make a move before they did. Sherlock slid out and around his chair with ease, beginning to walk towards the doors himself.

Her anger reaching its final peak, Alvarie acted quickly. Picking up the clean plate that previously sat in front of her, she prepared to aim it at the back of Sherlock's head. Just before the release, he stopped, almost sensing her. "I really wouldn't." He said, not turning back around.

Unfortunately, Alvarie's burning rage wouldn't stand for reason and she let go, watching as the plate spin wildly towards Sherlock.

It hit him between his shoulders, bouncing off them before clattering to the floor in several pieces. He brushed down his suit jacket and kept walking, unphased by her outburst. More angered than ever before, she grabbed another plate from the table, moving closer.

This particular plate hit him in the back of the head which, she noticed, was clearly a successful move because he had actually moved to touch the back of his head which, was bleeding slightly.

Alvarie quickened her pace towards him, not even bothering to grab another plate. Instead, she raised a fist, hitting him square in the jaw and sending him stumbling slightly. He blinked, not shocked in the slightest. "Are you satisfied now?" He asked, almost sounding bored.

She proceeded to hit him twice more, each punch more futile than the last. He simply stood and took it, still looking unphased. Panting, she fell to the ground, her shoulder exhibiting a familiar pain.

She looked up, seeing a small, but satisfying, amount of blood on Sherlock's face. "Finished?" He said, returning her gaze. She nodded, not able or willing to let out a word. He reached out a hand to help her up and Alvarie took it grudgingly. He let out a sigh and exited, wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve. Like so many times before, she was alone again.

* * *

"Well I mean, it's up to you. Like, if you want to stop at a restaurant, I've got money and we could-" Lilly looked past Rain as the doors to the room they were previously in opened. Sherlock walked through with a face Lilly had never seen on him before. It took her a flat second to notice he was bleeding. "What happened in there? Why are you bleeding? Did it have to do with the crashing sounds?" Lilly spun past Rain and looked at him, concern washing over her face.

Sherlock kept walking. "I don't want to talk about it." Lilly grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"You're bleeding and I need to know why."

He closed his eyes for a second. "Alvarie." The man yanked his hand free and moved quickly to the exit, leaving Lilly and Rain dumbfounded in the hall.

Rain walked up to her sensitively. "He'll be alright…"

"It's not him I'm worried about…"

The girl flinched at the harshness in her voice. Lilly was more angry than Rain had ever seen her before. Lilly's fists were clenched in clear rage, and she twitched ever so slightly, fighting to stay calm.

 _"Mom, what happens if they hurt someone close to me?" Lilly sunk into a dark room, unable to move. In front of Lilly sat her past self and the blurry figure of her mother; the woman was brushing through the girl's blond hair. "What if they hurt you or dad?"_

 _Lilly's mother smiled slightly. "You survive. You change your name and become someone else."_

 _The girl frowned slightly. "What do I do if they hurt someone innocent just because I love them?"_

 _Her mother stopped at this. "Listen to me, baby. You fight their attacker until the day you die. Never let them hurt what you love. Never let them get away with it. People are gonna want to hurt you in any way they can. And the second you let them hurt you is the same moment they win."_

 _"But… what if I care about the attacker?"_

 _She continued to brush her daughter's hair. "Then you stop caring about them." Her mother's tone was ice cold, making the small girl look down at the bed she sat on. "Understand?"_

 _"Y-yes mom..."_

Lilly snapped back into reality, completely calm. "Rain, take this and go back to Jenna's house." She handed the girl some money. "I need to talk with Alvarie."

Rain stared at it, confusion growing on her face. "W-what are you gonna do to her?"

"What?"

The girl stared at the ground. "You're gonna hurt her, aren't you?"

Lilly blinked. "What? No."

"Then why do you want me to go?"

She sighed. "Fine, come. If it makes you feel better." Lilly walked into the dining room, staring at the figure of a defeated Alvarie. Noticing her entrance, Alvarie's eyes turned slightly scared. But as soon as she saw Rain was with her, she relaxed considerably. Lilly picked up a shard of a broken plate and tried extremely hard to keep her cool. "I need to discuss something with you."

Alvarie took a step back. "There's nothing to discuss."

"Wrong." Lilly dropped the plate shard and crossed her arms, her look unreadable. "You don't seem to understand what I am attempting to do for you. I stand up for you not because I think you're incapable of doing it yourself, but because you have been wronged so many times before. You've been pushed around your entire life. I'm not about to let people push you around anymore because I…" She bit her lip and kicked a plate shard across the room. "Because as much as I hate you… I care for you. And nothing's going to stop me from making sure that you are treated the way you deserve." Lilly looked down. "However, I can't let you beat up your father just because you're pissed at him. And I understand that you're angry, but… he's beating himself up over you beating him up and I can't let that go on. Just… despite what you think, he really is trying." Lilly sighed, ruffling her hair. "Look, just… lay off him. I know you wanna kill him sometimes; trust me, I get the feeling. But…" She looked at Rain for help.

Rain smiled a little. "What she means is that you've never had a proper mom who treated you right. Lilly's no mom but she'll treat you and protect you like you her's."

Lilly looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Y-yeah, but lay off Sherlock otherwise things could get bad. F-for you, that is." She glanced at Alvarie who seemed more than confused. Taking Rain's hand, she walked out the doors without a word, leaving Alvaire alone again.


	13. Chapter 13

Lilly smiled at Rain. "Don't worry about me; I'll be fine."

The girl sighed and hugged Lilly. "Don't do anything I'd tell you not to do."

"Yes ma'am." She laughed and hugged back. "Now go get some sleep." Rain got in the cab, giving Lilly a final glance before it drove off into the night. Finally alone, Lilly sighed and started to walk aimlessly around London. These last couples of weeks were quite literally the most confusing weeks of her entire life. Each day was crammed with some sort of problem. And now here she was, finally walking alone in the silent dark wearing a dress.

Reflecting on what just happened, her heart sunk slightly. She only now realized that her outbursts and whatnot made the event a living hell. Feeling guilty, she pulled out her phone and texted John. "I just realized how terrible I made your party… I'm so sorry! I'm terrible…"

It took John less than a minute to respond. _"It's not you I'm cross with. Don't worry about it, Lilly."_

 _"I still feel bad."_

 _"Well don't. Trust me, if I wanted to have a normal party, I wouldn't have invited all of you."_

 _"Haha! I guess that's true. Thanks so much. Tell Rosie I have a gift for her! It's in the mail."_

 _"I will, thank you._ " With that, the conversation was over and Lilly put her phone back in her pocket. Lilly's mind began to wander to other things, such as why she felt so passionately about Sherlock's kid. Maybe that was just it; because it was Sherlock's kid. But… there had to be more to it. Maybe it was because Alvarie reminded Lilly of herself when she was younger. Obviously they were different in so many ways, but something felt similar. They were both counted as criminals, both sassy, both look after someone close to them… but other than that, Lilly was at a blank as to what they had in common. Alvarie regrets her past, but Lilly has come to terms with it. Alvarie considered her past as "bad" while Lilly thought her past was just a bit different. After all, there was nothing particularly hard about living at an orphanage other than the fact that… well… she was living in an orphanage. But her parents taught her how to be strong even when everyone else makes you feel weak. She was trained for this, and Alvarie wasn't in the least. Maybe that's why. Maybe she felt so strongly for her because she knew that all she needed was someone to fan a dying flame. Lilly sighed and shook her head, moving onto the next topic.

Sherlock. He always popped back up in her head no matter how hard she tried to force him out. He looked so deflated when he walked past her earlier. The memory made her shiver. Lilly wished she could help at least a little bit more, but she didn't even know where to start. How can you help someone who doesn't want it? Lilly snorted at her question. Simple; you don't. But she was inclined to help him. It was her job to help with whatever troubled him. Because that's what a good friend does. Help.

Lilly stumbled on a crack in the cement. Looking around, she found herself in an unknown park. Glancing in front of her, she spotted a bench. Deciding to heck with it, she walked over to it and sat down, feeling more tired than she'd felt in a long time. Closing her eyes, she fell into a light sleep.

* * *

Footsteps approached Lilly, waking her from her slumber. Glancing up, the familiar figure of Sherlock Holmes drew near. She straightened her posture and gave the man a curious look. "Sherlock?"

The man gave her a glance then sat down next to her, looking off in front of him. "Why are you here?"

Lilly sighed, a small smile on her face. "You needed time alone."

"So falling asleep on a park bench was what you decided on?" He gave Lilly an unthrilled look.

She looked down. "Sherlock…"

"You're coming back to Baker Street with me. I'm not letting you sleep outside." He stood up and held his hand out. "Come on."

Lilly took his hand and got up. "Thank you…"

Sherlock blinked at this, his face unreadable mostly because of the dark. "I had the cab wait. Let's go."

* * *

The ride back was painfully silent, and now Lilly sat in the red chair with Sherlock seated across from her. The two had been staring at the floor for about a minute now, and Lilly decided it was time to speak up. "Alright look. Recently I've been a total jerk to you. I was upset at myself and was stressed beyond belief. Obviously there's no excuse for my behavior but…" She paused, thinking of a way to phrase what she wanted to say. "But I want to make it up to you."

His face didn't change. "How?"

She sighed, looking down at the floor. "I trust you with my life, Holmes… Ask me anything and I'll answer it truthfully."

"What do you mean?" He gave a slightly confused look.

"I mean exactly what I said. Ask me anything. Anything at all, and I'll answer it. Fire away." Lilly smiled a little. "It's exhausting having so many secrets."

Sherlock shifted in his chair. "Alright…" He thought for a moment. "How many questions do I have?"

Lilly laughed at this. "As many as you want for the rest of our lives." Sherlock frowned slightly, disbelief lurking in his eyes.

"Anything?" Sherlock asked. Lilly nodded, looking almost sick. "You don't seem comfortable with this."

"There are some things I haven't even told Rain… Some things I've slapped the good ol' 'it-made-me-who-I-am-today' tag on and never looked at again. Of course I'm worried about reopening a wound. But… I trust you." She blinked, determination gleaming in her eyes. "So go ahead. Ask me anything."

Sherlock put his hands in a prayer below his chin, thinking hard. "Why were your parents killed?"

Lilly thought briefly. "I think it was because they were assassins. I'm not sure, actually…"

"The reason we met was because you owed a friend a favor and I was in danger. Explain."

"Well…" She started, letting out a small sigh. "My friend's name was Riley Burnhart. You solved a case for her. She found out that a group was planning on killing you, so she sent me to protect you because of what you did for her." Lilly twirled her hair. "I think she picked me because my parents trained me for these exact situations but, I can't be sure. I didn't get the chance to ask too much about it because by the time it was for sure you were safe, someone murdered her."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you stay?"

"Stay where?" She asked.

"Why'd you stay with me instead of going back to your life?"

Lilly shrugged. "You were different."

He paused at this, and then went back to thinking. "When did you start living at the HUB?"

"Oh geez…" Lilly closed her eyes in thought. "Around fifteen…"

Sherlock's rage of questions pushed on. "You said that you were a criminal before me. For how long and what did you do?"

She laughed. "Nothing too serious… I robbed a few unsuspecting places… just some small shops; no banks or anything." Lilly smiled at the memory. "I hacked into a few places too, but only to see if I could. I guess I started that around the same time I joined the HUB."

"Is Lilly your real name?"

"Of course not," Lilly looks at the ground, "but it's the name I identify with, so don't ask me for my real one unless you… really want to..."

He gave her a slightly concerned look. "Why are you telling me all this?"

She looked at him, locking eyes for a moment before she looked away again. "Because you judge people based off of what you can deduct from them. If you can't get much from me, then how can you know if I'm the kind of person you want running around with you?"

Sherlock knew there was more to it than that, but he could tell by the way she sat that she didn't want to be pressed any more. "Honestly, Lilly, I don't care who you were." Lilly glanced up, an unreadable look on her face. "It's more important who you are now. Obviously nothing can be done about the past, so why care?"

Lilly smiled, her cheeks slightly red. "Sorry for being a jerk."

"You weren't a jerk; you just didn't know how to react. You experienced a set of emotions that you haven't had in a long period of time." Noticing a small laugh come from her, Sherlock tilted his head slightly. "What?"

"Nothing, you're just fantastic." She sighed and the two looked away at the same time. Lilly glanced back at him, remembering his wounds. "Did you clean those properly?" She asked.

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Yes, mum."

Lilly scoffed slightly, walking over to him. "Liar, stand up." Sherlock groaned, but obeyed, allowing her to inspect the plate-wound on the back of his head. "Tch… that girl could have given you a concussion…" She shook her head. "Well, this one is cleaned wrong." Lilly turned him, biting her lip as she saw where Alvarie punched him. "If Alvarie wasn't your kid…" She turned his head slightly, staring intensely at the wound.

"Lilly, I'm fine." Sherlock sounded slightly annoyed.

"No, you're not fine! You're risking infection!" She ran her finger over his cheekbone, feeling for any sort of fracture. Sherlock froze then flinched back slightly. Lilly blinked, looking from her hand to his face. "Did… that hurt?" He shook his head, unsure of what just happened. She straightened him out again then closely inspected a small gash on his cheek, delicately holding his chin up. Sherlock's heartbeat quickened. Confused, he took a step back, staring at Lilly, a puzzled look on his face.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked, touching the place she had just had her hand.

Lilly blinked with confusion. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did, you…" His voice ended in a whisper, which scared Lilly a bit.

"What?"

Sherlock glanced at her, obviously not sure about what to do. "Nothing."

Lilly huffed, but went back to inspecting the wound. "I need to get stuff to clean this. Sit." She pointed to his chair before walking into the kitchen. "Do you honestly have no room in your ever-expanding brain for proper wound-care?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Of course I do." He mumbled.

She took a washcloth and turned the faucet on, running warm water over it. Lilly rung it out then returned to Sherlock. "Stay still." She dabbed the cloth on his cut, watching out of the corner of her eye as Sherlock's pupils dilated. "Christ, are you ok?" She laughed.

He leaned away. "What? Why do you say that?"

"Your pupils dilated. I'm not an idiot." She looked from the cloth to the man then back again.

Sherlock opened his mouth to say something, but pulled out his phone instead. A few seconds later, his phone buzzed and he rolled his eyes.

Lilly tilted her head. "What is it?"

"John." He glanced at Lilly.

She giggled, taking his phone. "What do we have here?" She sang.

"Lilly…!" Sherlock jumped up and attempted to take his phone back, but Lilly ducked away.

"Why can't I read it?" Lilly laughed, somehow managing to hold the man back with her outstretched arm. In her best British accent, Lilly read the text Sherlock sent to John. "Help something is happening and I don't understand it."

Sherlock slid in front of her, only to have Lilly retreat several steps back. "It's pointless to read through my dull conversations with which you have no context for."

"Well, it's obviously not dull if you won't let me read it!" She sidestepped into the kitchen, standing on the opposite side of the cluttered table. "What do you mean, says John!" Lilly narrated.

"I hate you…" Sherlock growled, suddenly reaching across the table.

She leaned back, laughing hard. "She touched my cheek, John." Lilly cried, almost falling over with laughter.

"Why are you so needlessly persistent?" He sprinted around the table, only causing Lilly to switch places with him.

"Yeah, so what?" Lilly ignored his remark and continued her fake accent.

Sherlock rolled his eyes and balled his hands into fists attempting to stay calm. "If you're going to imitate John at least do it well."

Lilly's eyes sparkled at this, and she deepened her voice considerably. "No, not like that. There was a reaction. It wasn't normal." She glanced up at Sherlock, smirking at his embarrassed look.

"That's not what I sound like."

She stuck her tongue out, looking back down to the phone. Now she raised the pitch of her voice, sounding like a British chipmunk. "YOU LIKE HER, SHERLOCK! Just get over yourself, get up off your ass and do something about it." Lilly's voice went back to its normal pitch, giving Sherlock an evilly curious glance. "You like me?"

Sherlock rattled his brain for something clever to say. "Um…"

"Probably not currently, huh?" She snickered, backing into the living room, still holding onto the phone. "Got anything to say, Holmes?"

The man shivered, a small blush gathering on his cheeks. "I… Uh, you… M-meh…"

Lilly took another step back, laughing hard. "Meh?! What does that mean?!" She stopped when she saw him blushing. "Sherlock, you're blushing…"

"Great observational skills." He rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, I try." She bowed dramatically, giving Sherlock the opportunity to sprint up to her in attempt to take the phone. Lilly realized it mid-bow and yelped playfully, backpedaling into Sherlock's chair, falling onto it. She laughed, quickly hiding the phone behind her back. "Is it true?"

"Is it?" He responded, raising his eyebrows, a smirk spreading across his face.

She cocked an eyebrow, her eyes knowing. "You're avoiding the question, Holmes."

"Am I?"

Lilly laughed, letting out a groan of mock-irritation. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" He put on a fake questioning look.

"Ugh!" She crossed her arms, a smile still on her face. "Fine then! I'll text John that you like me and you'll never hear the end of it."

"Alright then, do it." He crossed his arms.

She shrugged. "Not to mention all of the meetings John would arrange… Parties, crime solving, if he was feeling nice... heck, he'd probably even arrange… dates…" Sherlock froze at the word and Lilly was quick to notice. "Yeah… we'd have to spend our afternoon sipping tea and talking about our feelings. How would you like that?" She grinned, knowing she had him cornered.

"You're not going to do it, though." Sherlock said. "You'd never admit that."

Lilly chuckled. "Who said I would? I have your phone, remember? I'll text John using your phone."

"Clever…" He smirked.

"I know." She winked back. There was a silence between them for a short amount of time before Lilly took the phone out from behind her back and handed it to him. "Here."

Sherlock sighed, taking back his phone. "Thank you."

"Although, I really would like to know… You see, I can never figure out why people waste their time with me, so if you do like me… even just as a friend…" Lilly trailed off, laughing awkwardly. "Sorry, that came out of nowhere! You don't have to answer, obviously. The last thing I want is more awkwardness. We have enough of that to go around as it is, yeah?" She winked, smiling brightly

The detective blinked a few times, attempting to piece together a response. "I… don't know what to do…"

"Well, I'm gonna go change out of this dress. I'm more than tired of it." Lilly smiled and grabbed her backpack, going upstairs to the spare room. Once away from Sherlock, Lilly let out a heavy sigh. "Forget about it, Lilly… John was probably just kidding." She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled; a routine she practiced daily. Once satisfied with the quality of the smile, her face dropped back into neutral as if she had never been happy in the first place.

* * *

EARLIER

* * *

Alvarie stood between shards of broken plates, stunned and filled with confusion. Lilly's words had numbed her, and left her in a stupor of shock and uncertainty. She pawed a piece of ceramic with her foot, unsure of what to do next.

Suddenly, Alvarie reached up to touch her cheek, feeling something wet. To her great surprise, she was crying. Although it was a normal reaction to her situation, it was still greatly unusual to her due to the fact that she was not moved to such expression of emotion often. However, in the climax of the night's events, she finally cracked.

Falling to her knees in a state of complete disarray, she began to cry even harder. The build up of every terrible thing that she had ever experienced had finally hit her and it was terrifying. Her hands shook violently, her face screwed up in a horrible expression of complete despair. Tears leaked their way out of her eyes, almost as if they were forcing her to feel something. The broken pieces of plate strewn around her showed her the reflection a girl she no longer recognized, a weak one.

Being so absorbed by the intense emotion she felt, her senses blurred together and she hardly noticed the large oak door creaking open in front of her. Through a curtain of tears, she saw a figure rushing towards her, his tousled hair flying. It was only then that she realized she had been screaming aloud, her voice sounding distant and apart from herself.

"Alv?" The blurred figure said, peering into her pained eyes. She didn't respond but, slowed her tears and began to quiet down, her screams now a soft whimper. Registering that the person in front of her was indeed her brother, she relaxed her previously tense muscles, resolving to wipe away her tears out of embarrassment.

"S-Sorry." She stuttered, almost clawing out the wetness on her cheeks. Alger stared at her, concern and confusion dominating his expression. Without a word, he bent down to grab her hand, pulling her to her feet gingerly. Then, with his help, the pair proceeded to cross the room and exit to the long hallway beyond.

Several minutes later, Alvarie found herself propped up on her bed with Alger sitting next to her on the uncomfortable looking armchair. She hadn't registered most of the walk to her room and remembered the majority of the journey with a dull haze. Turning her head slowly, she peered at her brother who, had changed into jeans and a t-shirt with his hair back to it's former unkemptness.

He returned her glance, his face full of questions. "You don't have to tell me what happened…" He began, trailing off for a few seconds before continuing. "Actually, yes you do have to tell me what happened and then I'll tell you what happened to me." He said matter-o-factly, looking tired from the evening's events just as she was. Alvarie took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts carefully before responding.

"W-Well, I uh, asked him about the first time we talked. You remember that right?"

"Yeah." Alger nodded, urging her to continue.

"And then, I suggested that he probably just didn't have room for me in his mind palace or whatever and, when everyone left, I threw a couple plates and um, punched him." She sighed, knowing that her brother was bond to notice that she had left out several important details from before and after her anger had peaked. In response, Alger sat silent for a while, a stunned look on his face. "Why did you come back down anyways?" She added, half curious and half aiming to change the subject.

"I was worried when you never came up," He said quickly, running a hand through his hair. "I came down just as Lilly and Rain had left." With this, he shot her a meaningful glance, clearly wanting an explanation on what else had occurred in the vast dining room.

Alvarie sighed again, not sure how to begin all that she knew she needed to tell him. "After I had hit him and he had left," She took a deep breath before continuing. "Lilly came in to talk to me, and uh-" Alvarie stopped briefly thinking hard about how she would continue. "You overheard most of the argument Lilly, Mycroft, and I were having, right?"

"Yep." Alger responded, a heavy expression washing over him.

"Okay," Alvarie started again, regaining speed. "Well, she told me that she cared about me and um didn't want to see me be wronged anymore than I already have been." She sped up as she finished speaking, wanting her explanation to be over as quickly as possible.

Alger sat up straighter as soon as she was done, his lips shaping themselves into a deep frown. "I would ask why you were crying but, I might already know the answer."

"Do tell." Alvarie said, her usual hard edge creeping it's way back into her voice.

"I'm not saying this to flatter myself but, the only person who's been a constant presence in your life, that's cared for you and that you've cared for, is me. Not even Raz came anywhere close to knowing you." He treaded onward carefully, seeming to mull over each word he spoke thoughtfully before uttering it, "You don't think you should have the right to love or be loved. Which is why something snapped in that room. Lilly told you she cared and you had no clue what to do with that information…" He trailed off at the end, realizing he had been speaking for a longer period than he had perhaps ever done before.

Alvarie didn't respond at first but, looked down at her hands instead. She felt highly uncomfortable having someone list out her emotions for her, even if it was her own brother.

"You're not anywhere close to being like him you know." She said finally, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. "All these years I told myself I was looking after you and it was really the opposite this whole time." She let out a small laugh, leaning back on the bed.

"Come on Alv, at least give yourself credit for raising me when no one else would." He responded, brushing off her comment uncomfortably.

Alvarie looked him over, her expression serious again. "We've both been through so much and you've definitely undergone far more than me. Yet, you never bring it up..."

"Maybe that's because, up until a few days ago, I didn't have a constant reminder of my past hanging around like you have. Don't blame yourself that I never asked for any help, it's not your fault." He sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands.

"You said you wanted to tell me something earlier?" Alvarie prompted, hoping she could try to help her brother in some way.

"Oh, yeah." He drew his face out of his hands, looking even more tired than before. "Well, you basically already pinpointed it."

"What do you me-" She broke off for a second, realizing what he meant. "Oh, did Rain complement you?" She asked, hoping it wasn't the case. Of course, she knew the young girl had good intentions but, seeing as Alger wasn't fond of expressing his emotions outright, having someone point them out to him would be a worse case scenario.

"Yep," Alger said immediately, falling back into the armchair with a thud. "And after I didn't respond she kindly pointed out all my thoughts and feelings for me."

"So, you ran out."

"Uh huh, I wanted to find you instead but, it happened so fast and-" He started before Alvarie cut him off.

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better, I'm aware you wanted to be alone. I would have done the same thing."

"Do you think he'll find us?" Alger asked, a slow terror creeping it's way over his features.

Alvarie peered carefully at her brother, not sure how to respond. "If we try and leave here, yes. If we stay, maybe." Seeing the terror continue on her brother's face, she kept going. "But, with the amount of security measures our dear uncle has, I doubt that he'll get anywhere close."

"So I guess we're not planning that escape anymore." He chuckled at the thought fondly before glancing over at Alvarie.

"I'm not saying I want to stay here, I'm saying we have to, regardless of how old I am."

"I just wish there was some way we could tell Raz and the others we're not dead. I mean sure they were jerks most of the time but, they were our family." He looked up, thinking hard.

"Fat chance of that." Alvarie sighed, following his gaze upward.

"Why?"

"When Mycroft gave me that phone," She gestured to her jean jacket that lay draped across the chair Alger sat in, "He told me I could call anyone with the exception of them. Being me I assumed it would be easy to go against this but, unfortunately, he individually screens every phone call that leaves this place." She waited briefly for him to comment but, hearing nothing, barreled forward. "I thought about asking Lilly or maybe even John to send them a message from us but, I ran into a problem."

"What was it?" Alger asked, now sitting up straighter and listening intentily.

"They've all worked with criminals that have some connection to, uh him." She brushed over Moriarty's name, not wanting to see Alger flinch at the sound of it. "So, if they knew anything about our whereabouts, I'm sure that they'd be given a quite a bit of money to pass it forward."

Alger nodded, a stunned look on his face. "Well, if we're gonna be here for a while you might as well call Sherlock and apologize." He resolved to Alvarie's horror. "And thank Lilly." He added quickly.

"I'm not-" Alvarie started, her mouth hanging open. However, before she could articulate an argument, Alger had already pulled the phone from her jacket and was dialing numbers. He walked over to her, pressing the phone to her ear forcefully. Giving him a look of pure irritation, she took the phone in her hand and prepared herself for another host of painful conversations.

The phone rang several times before she heard the other line click on, causing her heart rate to quicken.

"Hello?" A low voice asked, unmistakably Sherlock's.

Alvarie felt like someone had punched her in the throat, rendering her unable to speak. After a long pause, she mustered enough courage to finally speak.

"I-I'm sorry." She said quickly, so that Sherlock barely understood her.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry for attacking you and um throwing those plates." She answered uncertainly.

"I understand your motivations fully and it proved an easy feat to deduce when you would lash out. I just didn't anticipate how much it would hurt." He said, cold calculation threading his tone. "Strictly physically though." He added awkwardly in a different tone that sounded almost flustered.

"I'm sorry I can't forgive you." Alvarie responded simply, wincing at the cheesiness of her own comment.

"Forgiveness doesn't exist Alvarie. It's just a thing people claim when they're tired of fighting the people they care for." He commented, sighing into the phone. "Seeing how much hate you've built up, logic tells me that you would likely never claim such an arbitrary idea." The man finished, a silence falling between them.

Alvarie broke it in a few moments, after carefully formulating her reply. "Why did you ask Mycroft for custody over me if you deduced that I'd always hate you?" A rustling noise followed Alvarie's question on the other end, causing her to have to hold the phone a longer distance from her ear. A soft thud followed and then, silence, leading her into a state of panic.

"Eh, hello?" A female voice asked into her ear, after a few tense moments had passed.

"Wha-" Alvarie broke off quickly, too confused to attempt ask what had happened.

"This is Lilly. Sherlock's gone…" Lilly paused, sounding unsure of what to say. "Gone out, um... he's gone out."

"Oh, uh did he say anything before he left?" She asked, hoping for the answer to the question she had had burning inside her for days.

"No." Lilly said simply, creating unwanted awkward tension.

"Oh, okay. Um thanks for earlier by the way."

"What? Oh, yeah sure uh, n-no problem." Lilly replied, only building the tension from before.

"So, I guess I should go now." Alvarie said quickly, eager to end the conversation.

Before Lilly could respond, she hung up, giving Alger a deadly stare. He only shrugged, standing up to walk towards the door.

"Your welcome." He said on his way out, a small smile on his face.

"Thanks." Alvarie said, even though he had already left. She sunk deeper into the bed, a crushing feeling settling on her chest.

Nothing that had transpired in the past hour had made any sense to her and she suspected it would make even less sense the following morning. Feeling utterly lost, Alvarie fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from the night's events.

* * *

Alvarie jumped up, her heart beating out of her chest in panic along with a heavy rhythm that sounded like drums. Realizing it was the sound of someone knocking on the door, she slowly made her way to her feet.

Opening the door, she had expected to see Mycroft's assistant but, when she discovered it was Sherlock who stood in the doorframe, her eyes widened with shock.

He was looking off to his left when she had opened the door, seeming not to notice her standing there. When he finally turned to look at her, she saw a anxious intensity in his gaze. Reaching into the pocket of his coat without preamble, he handed her a plain looking envelope.

After she had taken it from his outstretched hand he finally spoke, "I had John help me write that." He said, gesturing towards the letter. "It should explain some things."

"Thanks." Alvarie said meekly, staring down at the letter. A kind of dread had stayed with her from when she had fallen asleep and it was all she could do to keep from looking pale and shaky. However, she noted this to have been obviously unsuccessful when she saw Sherlock looking her over curiously, his face twisting into a frown.

"You were asleep just now." He commented, nodding towards the door that looked into her room. She didn't respond but, just stared at him, almost daring him to continue. "And you dreamed something, what was it?" He eyed her again, almost closing on a look of concern but, curiosity overwhelmed him instead.

"It doesn't matter." She mumbled, not meeting his eye. Sherlock gave a slow nodd in response, looking like he wanted to say something else but, wasn't able to get the words out. "Should I read this now, or…?" Alvarie prompted out of the silence, trying to keep the conversation from becoming more awkward than it already was.

"Oh, yes. I'll uh leave you to it." He said, backing up before turning to leave. Alvarie watched him go curiously, her fingers itching to open the letter as soon as he was out of sight.

As he turned the corner she spun around, shutting the door behind her. Making her way over to the armchair, she sat down, ripping open the envelope as she did so. This revealed a folded up piece of paper which, when open, showcased rather beautiful handwriting she assumed was John's.

Alvarie held tightly to the edges of the paper, her knuckles turning white as the thin letter almost ripped. Her eyes tore through each line, hungry for information. When she reached the last line, she fell back in the chair, exhausted and relieved.

She sat in silence for a long period before closing her eyes, the letter clutched tightly in her hands. A small smile appeared on her face as she drifted into sleep and she looked, for the first time, at peace with herself.


	14. Chapter 14

Lilly looked the wooden doors up and down, not quite sure what she was even doing there. She sighed and knocked, awaiting the response. Despite her mixed feelings about meeting with Alvarie, she felt it was somewhat necessary.

"Who is it?" A voice called from the other side.

She laughed a bit. "Satan." After a short silence, Lilly scratched her head. "I-it's Lilly." Shortly after this, the door opened a crack, revealing half of a tired looking face. Lilly smiled awkwardly. "Hey…!" She looked down. "I uh… Wanna talk?"

Alvarie opened the door a bit wider. "Um, sure?" She said with great uncertainty.

Lilly smirked, the voice inside her head screaming with awkwardness. "Um, so…" She trailed off, not sure where to begin. Alvarie gazed back at her, her eyes glazed over with lack of sleep.

"You could start by explaining why you're here." Alvarie offered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She looked up quickly and took a breath. "Right, well, Sherlock hasn't been back for a few hours and I'm starting to worry." Lilly bit her lip. "I mean, not that I don't think he can handle himself, it's just that…" She trailed off again, not knowing how to dig herself out of the caring hole she had dug herself into.

"He was here like a few hours ago I think."

Lilly rolled her eyes knowingly. "Mycroft." She spun around, already heading down the hallway. "You should come; they'll be having a glare-off. Quite hysterical, actually." Alvarie shut the door behind her, following after Lilly without a word.

* * *

After several minutes of dazed walking, Alvarie realized they had turned the same corner multiple times. "Um, do you know where you're going?" She asked hesitantly.

Lilly spun to face her, an awkward smile plastered on her face. "Not a clue...?"

"Take a left up there and his office is the second door on the right." Alvarie offered, smiling and pointing down the hall. "Trust me, I've done a hell of a lot of eavesdropping outside that door."

With a small laugh, Lilly nodded and walked this time in the right direction. "This one?" She asked as they got to the door.

"Yep." Alvarie replied.

Lilly turned the knob and entered the silent room, sighing as she found the two sitting across from each other, glaring intensely. "How long has this been going on for?" She asked, crossing her arms.

Sherlock held his glare. "About an hour."

"Sounds fun!" Lilly walked over to Sherlock and waved her hand in front of his face. "You still there, Holmes? Or did you fly off to space again?" He snarled slightly and shooed her hand away.

Seizing her chance to escape, Alvarie attempted to duck out of the office before either of her family members noticed her presence. She had hoped that Lilly could work in her favor as a distraction but, unfortunately for her, Mycroft coughed loudly in her direction just as she had put one foot out the door. Backpedaling into the room, she stood, staring at her worn shoes awkwardly.

Lilly laughed quietly. "Whatcha two glaring about? Mycroft, don't you have a government to manage?"

"Technically, it is part of my duties to make certain that the morons of this country don't run about like wild horses." He responded, not breaking eye contact with his brother. "Speaking of which, I would love to know what my niece is doing lurking in doorways."

"What's it to you, Mikey?" Lilly stuck her tongue out mockingly. "I invited her along for the ride, if you really must know."

Alvarie rolled her eyes from across the room, exhausted and annoyed with her company. "Can I uh go…?"

"No." Everyone replied simultaneously, Lilly looking like she was the only one joking.

As Alvarie had started to back up slowly, she was very startled by their response and stumbled, falling backwards. "What?" She said on her way to the ground, desperately trying to find the floor behind her.

Lilly giggled a bit, walking over to help her up. "You okay?"

"Yeah," She answered, a bit shakily. "I'm just not used to being demanded to stay here, considering how many times I've been kicked out of this office."

"Welcome to the wanted club. Happy to have you." She winked before walking back over to the two men. "So," Lilly turned her glance to Sherlock, "wanna explain why you literally dropped your phone, nearly shattering it, and walked away without a word?"

"Yes, Sherlock. Why don't you enlighten both of us?" Mycroft added, a small smile spreading on his face.

Sherlock held the glare, not wanting to lose. "Do you have my phone?"

Lilly frowned. "You'll get it back once you tell me."

"If you really must know, just ask Alvarie." Sherlock pointed in the general direction of his daughter, still staring straight at Mycroft.

She glanced at Alvarie. "What do ya know kiddo?" Lilly winked a small smile on her face.

"Uh…" Alvarie started, caught completely off guard. "I'll keep my secrets, thank you." She resolved, her jaw setting itself in a hard line.

Lilly turned back to Sherlock. "Alright, how about now?"

"Nope." He said, enunciating each syllable. Lilly groaned before sitting between the two, making weird faces at Sherlock. The man froze, finally breaking his stare. "What are you doing?" Lilly laughed in victory.

"I feel like now is a great exit point for me so I hope you all don't mind if I just…" Alvarie said, looking uncomfortable as she slipped out the doorway almost unnoticed.

"You're already on incredibly thin ice so I suggest you make your way back into this room." Her uncle said in response, the only one in the party to hear her.

Lilly stepped back, laughing a bit. "Thank god you're done staring! Now we can have an actual conversation! Wow! Who would have guessed?" Her voice dripped with enthusiastic sarcasm. She sat down in a swivel chair, rolling her way to the others. "So, Sherlock, if your daughter isn't gonna explain it, and Mycroft doesn't know, then that means John has something to do with this. I'll call him right here right now if you don't say something. And if you're half as smart as you say you are, you'll know he'll be pissed that I called him. Why? Because you were with him early in the morning and he didn't get sleep. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice, Holmes." She smiled fakely, pulling out her phone.

"With all due respect," Alvarie butted in, "I really don't think this is the concern of anyone in this room but me, him, and John."

Lilly paused, furrowing her eyebrows. "Wait a minute… Why would you care if we knew? You either did something stupid or something…" She looked up, her eyes sparkling. "YOU DID SOMETHING SWEET!" She laughed, almost falling out of the chair. "Oh, I wonder what you said…! Maybe John will post a hint on his blog..." She went off into her own world, while the rest of the room seemed to roll their eyes.

"Actually Lilly, I don't think you need to know anything at all." Alvarie said, looking very annoyed.

Snapping out of her fantasies, Lilly glanced at the younger girl. "Alright." She shrugged, still curious but deciding to drop it as to not get farther onto the girl's nerves.

"I guess I'll leave you all to discuss it then." Alvarie spat, turning on her heel to run out of the room angrily. Instead, however, she found herself running straight into someone standing in the hallway. Stumbling backwards, she looked up at Alger, frowning.

He reached out a hand to help her up and she took it gratefully, happy to have a sympathetic ear to turn to. Once Alvarie was safely on her feet, Alger cast a sideways glance at her, trying to read her expression. She noticed and stared back at him, her features hardening to mask the bewildered emotions they had held moments earlier.

"How long were you listening for?" She asked, sighing, a drained look on her face.

"Long enough." He replied, looking down the hallway absent mindedly. "What do we do now?" He added, feeling unsure about how long they would be able to hold their position outside the office.

"I guess we just wait and see what happens in there? Like old times?" She smiled and he nodded in response as they edged their way to wait beside the half open door.

* * *

As they had begun to listen intently, Lilly sat back down in the chair. "Alright, your disappearance aside, why are you having a glare-off with your brother?"

Sherlock started staring again. "I got yelled at for seeing my daughter." He glared accusingly at his brother.

"You got yelled at because you were where you shouldn't have been, brother." Mycroft retorted, sounding almost bored with Sherlock.

"Alright, alright… calm down girls, you're both pretty..." Lilly rolled her eyes. "So because Sherlock walked into your… house… you glared at him for an hour?"

"Oh, he did most of the glaring. I just calmly explained to him my conflictions on his place in Alvarie's life."

Lilly sighed, sinking down in her chair. "We're back to this again? Mycroft, the two share DNA. You can't void her of Sherlock no matter how hard you try." She saw Mycroft's glare and continued. "Don't take it personally, but you just can't. I mean, unless you kill him. Which I sure as hell won't let you do." She smirked, almost daring him to do something.

"I think you have rather missed the point. See, the fact that they share DNA is the very reason I have for keeping them apart. Sherlock has a way of…" He stopped briefly before continuing, trying to find the words he wanted. "Let's just say his influence would likely be the death of her fragile young mind."

A questioning look spread across her face. "I think it could be quite the opposite. Obviously I wouldn't let her fall for a life of a… criminal... and neither would he. And you do realize she's almost eighteen, correct? She's not young, nor fragile if you ask me." Lilly crossed her arms.

"Have you asked her about her nightmares Sherlock?" Mycroft asked, disregarding what Lilly had just said to him, getting an eye roll from her. "Would you even know how to help her?" He sneered, looking towards his brother for a reply.

Sherlock paused for a second. "No." He looked at Lilly. "But she would." Lilly blinked, slightly shocked, before giving a nod. "She's been through hell too. And she's still alive, isn't she?"

Mycroft rolled his eyes slightly before speaking. "I was under the impression that we were discussing how you came here alone. Not, how other people can fix your own problems for you."

"And we still would if you didn't say that he was a bad influence." Lilly smiled coldly. "But I get it. Let's go back to the original topic." She took a breath preparing to speak before Sherlock cut her off.

"If you're so worried about how I've affected her why don't you just ask her yourself? She's standing outside."

"Go ahead, ask her. Just don't expect any useful information; that girl would reveal her emotions half as willingly as even Sherlock or I would." Mycroft leaned back, a smug expression on his face.

* * *

Out in the hallway, a panic was quickly rising in Alvarie's gut. Her instinct was to flee but, something kept her rooted against the wall. She could feel her brother's equally quickened heartbeat next to her and turned, a helpless expression on her face.

He leaned in, whispering out of the corner of his mouth: "If we don't leave now, they might pull you into this." She looked up at him and nodded, her jaw tightening again.

"I'll be okay." She answered finally, putting her ear back against the wall. She could feel Alger's gaze lingering on the back of her head as she did so, not sure whether he should convince her to leave or not.

Lilly looked to the door. Not sure what to say, she sat with her mouth slightly open for a few seconds before closing it again. She looked to the carpet. Something didn't feel right about this conversation. "I feel like I shouldn't be part of this anymore." She said hesitantly. "I should probably go check on Rain and… uh…" Lilly trailed off, her voice turning to a whisper.

"Stay." Sherlock said firmly, not looking at Lilly.

Lilly's head shot up, a small blush growing on her cheeks as she smiled to herself. After a moment, she spoke. "Yo, Alvarie…" She called, crossing her arms. "Any thoughts on the conversation?"

Alvarie jumped away from the wall, startled by the sudden appearance of her name in their conversation. Feeling Alger's hand pat her gently on the back, she stepped back into the room apprehensively. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor, for fear she would lose it if she looked up.

Straightening up while starting to twitch, Alvarie dared to look across the room. "You can lock me up if you want." She said, shooting Mycroft a fleeting glance. "But, I'd like you to know that you'd be murdering me with your obsessive protection." Not waiting for a response, she addressed the other half of the party: "And as far as this 'influence' thing goes, I really don't think I can get any more messed up than I am right now."

Lilly looked at the girl, for a split second seeing a younger version of herself, but she blinked and it was gone. Nodding, she glanced at Sherlock before speaking. "Well, what do you want? Where do you want to be? If you could pick anywhere in the world to live, where would it be?"

"Not here." Alvarie said simply, trying not to give much away in regards to what she was thinking. She felt the muscles in her jaw tense again and she trained her eyes to the floor; it was a pattern she had become extremely familiar with.

Standing up, Lilly sighed a bit. "You poor girl." She walked over to Alvaire and put her hand on her shoulder. "I'll keep them off you. Or, I'll try my best to. If you want, that is." Lilly looked over her shoulder at Sherlock, unsure of what to do. "I get what you're going through, actually. And I think you should follow your heart, as cliché and cheesy as it is. You know what's best for you, so do it. Ignore us children." She winked before taking a step back.

Alvarie followed her movements carefully, calculating her response. "I find it funny how you can defend my maturity in one moment and treat me like a five year old the next." She sighed, clenching her fists at her sides. "I don't want pity from any of you. Nor, can I actually distance myself from all of this without getting another bullet in me." Alvarie gestured to Mycroft, her temper rising quickly.

Knowing that being kind wouldn't get her anywhere at this point, Lilly shrugged and sat down. "Alright. This is your fight, not mine." She shifted into a comfortable position, closing her eyes. "You know where to find me if you need me for whatever reason. Which you won't, but…" Lilly sighed with slight frustration. "Told you I should have gone..." She whispered, turning her head away from the conflict.

All of Alvarie's anger had begun to melt away by that point. Instead, she fidgeted uncomfortably, reaching her breaking point. Without her anger, she felt weightless, floating in a void where she could not tell what or where she was. Everyone in that office confused her and she did not know how she could pull herself away, having fallen too deep into conflict with them.

Panic clawed at her insides, forcing her to back away from the scene and towards the door. "I...uh...I should go." She stuttered, continuing to back up. "Yeah, um I should leave." Finally, she dared to turn around, and rounding the corner from the office, she broke into a sprint.

"Alv, wait!" Called a panting Alger from behind her.

Alvarie stopped running and turned around. "I couldn't stand another minute in there, so If you're going to make me go back I-"

"I'm not," Alger interjected, holding up a hand to show he meant it. "I just think we should talk."

"If you think I'm going to abandon you, which I'm not, I couldn't even get a foot out that front door if I wanted to." She retorted, not wanting to stop her escape even for him.

Alger looked behind himself, sensing movement from around the corner. "Actually, maybe you should go back." He said, stalling for time so whoever was behind the corner could reveal themselves before Alvarie took off again.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, walking forward a bit to see behind him. Unfortunately, Alger had side stepped in front of the spot, giving her his best blank expression.

"Nothing, I just don't think that running will help you this time." He ran a hand through his hair, looking increasingly more stressed. Shifting backwards a bit, he rounded half the corner and turned his head, talking softly out of the side of his mouth.

"Who are you-" Alvarie broke off, her throat becoming dry with worry. She started to back away again, anxious for what might happen if she didn't. A soon as she had turned to run she felt a hand holding tight at her wrist. Desperately, she tried to shake whoever it was off but, it was unsuccessful. Losing hope of escape, she turned around to look her captor in the eye.

Sherlock stared back at her, his jaw set in a harsh line, almost as if he was deliberately trying to hide another expression that lay beyond. "Come back to Baker Street with me." He said simply, still looking Alvarie directly in the eye. She, however, was looking past him, at Alger. Her brother wore an almost pleading expression which, forced her to look back at her father.

"I thought I made it clear that I need to get away." She felt her anger rise up again briefly before she shoved it back down, casting her eyes to the floor. "I don't think I can even look at any of you without being reminded of…" Trailing off, she looked up again, shocked that she had revealed anything of substance to him.

Sherlock tilted his head slightly, a calculated sort of confusion flooding his features. "You think that we'll all just disappear if you leave us?"

"M-maybe I do, yeah." Alvarie spat out, beginning to shake again.

Sherlock tightened his grip on her wrist, moving his head, almost as he if was scanning her. "And you believe that will cure you?" Alvarie nodded slowly in response, losing the will to speak.

Suddenly, he dropped her hand, bringing both his hands up to cover his face before running them through his hair. Alvarie watched him, unable to run away anymore. "Isn't that what you did before John?" She resolved to ask, her fists clenching then opening again at her sides.

He dropped his hands to stop and stare at her, a look of surprise on his face. Seeing he was finally getting somewhere, he chose his response very carefully: "Precisely, he saved me."

"I don't need saving." Alvarie shifted from foot to foot, growing more uncomfortable.

"So you've said but, I'm afraid evidence suggests otherwise." He took a step forward and seeing that she wasn't going to run, stopped a few feet from her.

Alvarie looked around desperately to Alger for help but, realized he had left the scene. Feeling lost she looked down for what felt like the millionth time. "What else does this evidence tell you?" She mumbled, letting her hair fall forward. Sherlock whispered something that only those in the room were capable of hearing, causing Alvarie to take a step back.

* * *

Lilly ran her hands down her face, looking over at Mycroft, who was looking at her with uncertainty. "What?" She glared at him.

"How about you turn on the logical part of your mind that you claim to have and figure it out for yourself." Mycroft retorted, sending a glare back.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I already know. You're concerned about the fact that a sociopath and an ex-assassin are attempting to take care of your niece."

"Less concerned, more disheartened to see a promising young mind drown in the clutches of the incapable."

"Oh yes, 'the incapable.'" She mimicked, making her voice stereotypically posh. "Believe in her abilities, then. If you think she's capable in choosing what's best for her, then let her."

"Every teenager thinks they're making the right choice. A better sense of judgment comes later in life… at least for some people." He explained, eyeing her with annoyance.

Lilly gasped, looking offended. "W-hell!" She crossed her arms.

"Get out." He said, pointing to the door abruptly.

"Aw… Does the big baby need some alone time?" She laughed, smirking maliciously. He didn't respond, directing another glare towards her instead.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, clearly sending a text. "You have ten minutes to get as far away from here as possible. If you fail, my security will shoot you down." He said without looking up.

"Your brother wouldn't like that too much." She huffed. "And besides, if you did that, an innocent child would be left alone in a place full of killers. Tell me, would you really do that?" Ignoring his glare, she continued. "But fine, shoot me." She threw her arms up. "Make my day, Mycroft Holmes. Oh wait… you won't because you're scared. You'd never get blood on your hands… You're too much of a wimp for that, aren't you? You make the calls, and decide their fate, but you never pull the trigger. Guess what, I have. You know some of what I've done, so you know that I've killed people like you… powerful… You fear me, I know it. You want me to die not because you hate me, but because you fear me. Don't take it personally, everyone's scared of something…" Lilly stood up and grabbed her jacket. "But at least I have the balls to fight it off myself." She savored the look of shock and concern on the man's face before striding out of the room.

Entering the hall, she turned the corner. "Holmes, your brother is threatening to kill me in ten minutes. I got on his nerves... again." She said, seeing Sherlock and Alvarie talking quietly. "Oh… uh, I'll just go. Guess it would be pointless for you to-" Mid-sentence, her phone buzzed, prompting Lilly to check the device. Her eyes widened as she pulled out her gun. "Holmes…" She gave him a terrified look, then tossed him her phone.

Sherlock looked from the phone to Lilly several time before tossing it back to her. "Who sent that?"

"My friend Will. The red cup guy? He's been spying for us." She loaded the gun, motioning down the hall.

"What's going on?" Alvarie cut in, severely confused.

Lilly and Sherlock exchanged a quick eye-conversation before the man turned to his daughter. "I'll explain later. We have to go."

"What about Alger? Are we just going to leave him here…" She trailed off, barely processing what was going on around her.

Lilly hesitated. "He'll be safest with Mycroft." Lilly said calmly, exchanging another series of glances with Sherlock.

Alvarie sucked in a shaky breath before turning on her heel, attempting to break into a run. Dodging Sherlock, Lilly bolted after her, quickly grabbing Alvarie's arm. Alvarie continued to struggle against her, tears forming in her eyes. "Wait, just look at me for a minute." Lilly said softly. Alvarie turned, eyes watering. "Look, I understand. Rain is my Alger, ya know? But right now we need you to just…" Lilly pressed hard on a pressure point of Alvarie's, making her pass out. "Sorry, luv."

Sherlock blinked in slight shock. "Did you just…"

"She'll wake up in a bit. Now come on!"


	15. An Epilogue

The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by a large screen with a photo of Lilly on it. In front of screen sat the silhouette of a man who stared intensely at the picture. "This girl is a bigger threat than I thought." He said, slowly interlocking his hands under his chin. "But as the saying goes, the bigger they are…" The man pressed a button on a slim remote, changing the picture on the screen to one of Rain. "The harder they fall." He grinned maliciously.

From behind him, a woman's voice sounded. "She's just a child..."

"A-a-a... " He rose, slowly turning around. "Now what did I tell you about sympathy?" The man took over exaggerated steps towards her. She looked down, eyes closed. "What? Cat got your tongue?" He sung, swaying slightly.

She looked back up. "I don't feel sympathy for her. I just…" The woman sighed. "The last time we took her, Lilly dashed to the rescue. We've already tried this and it didn't work."

The man's face was unreadable. He gave an aura of unpredictability that invoked fear on even the bravest of people. After a few dreadful seconds of silence, he spoke quietly. "You make a valid point." He turned back to the screen, pressing another button on the remote. "But I wasn't talking about taking Rain, no, no, no!" His tone changed quickly to eerie excitement. "I was talking about the one in the background." The photo zoomed into the corner, enlarging the slightly startled face of Alger.

"Alger…? What do you plan to do with him?" The woman's heart quickened, scared that she already knew the answer to her question.

"Oh, isn't it obvious?" His voice dripped with laughter. After a moment, he turned back to the woman. "It's about time he started to follow in his father's footsteps, don't you agree?"

Her heart tore. She knew he would say that. "Yes, I do think it is about time." She said confidently. "Anything to uphold the deal."

The man laughed, the sound echoing endlessly. This was only the beginning.


End file.
